O'Sullivan breezes through to set up Higgins tie
Ronnie O'Sullivan, who last secured the World Snooker Championship title in 2022 at age 46, swiftly defeated China's He Guoqiang to advance to the last 16 stage, where he will face four-time champion John Higgins.
The seven-time world champion, now 50 years old, will compete against another member of snooker's renowned 'Class of 92'—a group that includes Higgins, also 50, and 51-year-old Mark Williams—who all turned professional in 1992.
The last-16 match against Higgins is scheduled to commence on Saturday evening at 19:00 BST, with additional sessions on Sunday evening and Monday afternoon at 13:00 BST.
O'Sullivan aims to capture his eighth world title, which would surpass Stephen Hendry's record of seven and establish a new modern-era benchmark.
Following the first session yesterday, O'Sullivan held a 7-2 lead and extended his advantage with a break of 62 before potting nine reds and eight blacks early in the 10th frame.
Despite making a 153 break at the World Open last month—the highest break in professional snooker achieved after a free ball was treated as a 16th red—O'Sullivan chose to play for the blue ball instead of black during this match.
A break of 113 brought him within one frame of victory, which he secured with another century break of 100, concluding the match with a 10-2 win.
Selby takes commanding lead over Jones
Four-time world champion Mark Selby, who has not won a match at the Crucible since reaching the final in 2023, is on the verge of advancing to the last 16 after dominating the opening session against Wales' Jak Jones, leading 7-2.
England's Selby, aged 42, suffered first-round exits at the Crucible in the previous two years but surged to a 6-0 lead over the 2024 runner-up, aided by breaks of 67 and 50.
Jones claimed a close seventh frame, but Selby restored his six-frame lead with a break of 78. Jones finished the session strongly with a 90 break in the final frame.
The match will resume to a conclusion in the evening session starting at 19:00 BST.
Seventh seed Selby aims to maintain the exceptional performance of seeded players, as all 13 who have completed their matches so far have won.
The World Championship, held at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield since 1977, has never before seen all 16 seeded players advance to the second round.
The current record is 15 seeds advancing, achieved in 1983 and matched in 1993. Should Selby, Si Jiahui, and Neil Robertson win their matches, all 16 qualifiers would have been eliminated in round one.
'Ruthless' Wakelin beats debutant Pullen, 20
Chris Wakelin, seeded 13th, secured a 10-6 victory over 20-year-old English qualifier Liam Pullen, marking the 12th seeded player to advance in the tournament.
Wakelin led 5-4 overnight, but Pullen, world number 86 who progressed through four qualifying rounds, leveled the match at 5-5 before Wakelin won five consecutive frames.
"I'm gutted for Liam as he is a really good friend of mine - we practice a lot and he is an incredible player," said 34-year-old Wakelin.
"A few years ago we first practiced together and he stuffed me and I thought 'what a talent'. It's a shame he didn't fully show what he is capable of but he did really well and made a good account of himself.
"I'm really proud that he has been here for the first time and every single person in that arena wanted him to win, me included. But I'm here to win and sometimes you have to be ruthless.
"I watched the draw and I didn't want to draw Stan [Moody] or Liam as they are my friends and I want them to win."
Pullen, who lost his World Snooker Tour place last May but regained it weeks later at Q School, expressed enthusiasm about his debut at the Crucible.
"I really enjoyed every moment," said Pullen. "I felt at times I held my own and I thought it was a very tight 10-6. I loved it. You have got to have fun and I felt close to doing something but it didn't quite click."
In the afternoon session, Si Jiahui will begin his match against Iran's Hossein Vafaei.
