Ronnie O'Sullivan's record-equalling seven World Snooker Championship wins

Here is our potted history on O’Sullivan’s seven world title wins, to date... 

2001

O’Sullivan arrived at the 2001 World Championship better mentally prepared than ever before, and confidence was high having already won four titles throughout the season. 

He managed the weight of expectation and comfortably dispatched Andy Hicks (10-2), Dave Harold (13-6) and Peter Ebdon (13-6) to reach the one-table set up for the fourth time. There, he broke his semi-final duck by eliminating Joe Swail 17-11. 

In his maiden world final, O’Sullivan faced ‘Class of 92’ contemporary John Higgins who was aiming for his second Crucible crown.

The biggest match of his life, O’Sullivan settled in nicely, taking the first session 6-2 and maintaining a four-frame cushion with an overnight 10-6 advantage. That lead swelled to 14-7 during the final day, although Higgins battled back to within three. 

O’Sullivan produced a successful counter-attack to go one frame away from the title at 17-13, but fluffed his lines in the next when he missed effectively championship ball. 

However, after his opponent stalled in the next frame, O’Sullivan composed himself and compiled a tournament-winning break of 80 to realise his dream. 

2004 

Having suffered the ‘Crucible Curse’ in 2002 and a first-round exit in 2003 - despite making a £169,000 maximum break in the latter - O'Sullivan became a multiple-time world champion in 2004. 

Arguably the toughest opening round he could be drawn, O’Sullivan defeated recent ranking event winner Stephen Maguire 10-6 before registering five century breaks in a 13-11 second round ding-dong with Andy Hicks. 

Progress was more serene in the following two rounds as he swept aside Anthony Hamilton 13-3 (with four centuries) in the last eight and Stephen Hendry 17-4 in the final four; both wins came with a session to spare. His destruction of Hendry was the largest margin of victory in a Crucible semi-final, ever. 

Another uncomplicated outcome for O’Sullivan was predicted by some for his final against underdog Graeme Dott, who was priced 200/1 at the start of the event and looking for his first professional title. However, the gritty Scot ripped up the script during the early phases of his maiden world final appearance as he stunned pundits by carving out a 5-0 lead. 

In professional snooker’s lengthiest match, though, there was ample time for O’Sullivan to strike back, taking the front at 8-7 and going on to record an 18-8 win.

2008 

A trio of world title glories was completed in 2008; O’Sullivan’s campaign began with a 10-5 opening round victory against debutant Lyu Chuang. 

Not content with just one hat-trick, though, O’Sullivan compiled his third maximum 147 break on the hallowed Crucible carpet in the final frame of a 13-7 last 16 success over Mark Williams. It was also 147 number three of the season for ‘The Essex Exocet’. 

Another Crucible debutant in Liang Wenbo was dealt with 13-7 in the quarters before O’Sullivan inflicted another semi-final walloping on Hendry, stringing together 12 consecutive frames in a 17-6 victory during which he chalked up five century breaks. 

Seven-time world champion Hendry was quoted saying the performance was "close to perfection as you can get." 

Ali Carter – who also made a 147 in the event, the day after O’Sullivan did – reached his first world championship final. 

O’Sullivan got off to an ideal start, taking control by winning the first session 6-2 and finishing day one 11-5 up. It was too much of a mountain to climb for maiden finalist Carter on the concluding day as O’Sullivan emerged 18-8.  

2012

Four years later, O’Sullivan and Carter once again met in snooker’s most prestigious fixture. 

A lot had happened since then, though, with O’Sullivan’s career at a crossroads only a few months earlier. Without a ranking title in nearly two-and-a-half years and on the cusp of having to qualify for the Crucible, he memorably won the German Masters and gathered momentum before his familiar trip up north.  

The Rocket negotiated sticky openers against former champs Peter Ebdon (10-4) and Mark Williams (13-6) before coming back from a first session deficit to defeat 2010 winner Neil Robertson 13-10. He then held off two-time finalist Matthew Stevens 17-10 in the last four. 

The Essex derby was a different prospect this time around as Carter now had two ranking titles to his name and the title match experienced from four years earlier. O’Sullivan, though, hit a break of 141 in the final frame of the first session as he went 5-3 ahead before finishing the day 10-7 up. Not quite the six-frame cushion he held at the same stage in 2008, but nevertheless, he was in firm control. 

The real damage was done at the start of day two as O’Sullivan claimed the first four frames on resumption and later converted for an 18-11 win.

2013 

One of O’Sullivan’s most revered career achievements was his world championship defence in 2013. 

The remarkable nature of his fifth world title stemmed from the fact that he hadn’t played any competitive snooker in over seven months, and just one professional match since his Sheffield success the year before. 

Rustiness didn’t appear to be an issue, though, as he navigated Marcus Campbell 10-4 on day one of the 17-day extravaganza before once again denying Carter (13-8) in the last 16 and smashing Stuart Bingham 13-4 in the quarter-finals. 

In a semi-final blockbuster against Judd Trump, O’Sullivan managed to wrestle an advantage during the middle section of the tie and maintained it for a 17-11 result. 

A compelling title contest with an inspired maiden world finalist Barry Hawkins ensued. 

Australian Open champion Hawkins led 3-2 early on – the first time O’Sullivan had trailed in the entire tournament – although the reigning champion twice struck back-to-back centuries at crucial times during the day to lead 10-7 overnight. 

The tenacious Hawkins managed to keep in touch on day two, but at 15-12 up, O’Sullivan claimed the next three frames to make it a high five of world championship triumphs. 

2020

After tasting world final defeat for the first time in 2014, O’Sullivan did not feature in the last four at the Crucible during the next five installments. 

That unwanted sequence stopped at a delayed one-off summer world championship played almost entirely behind closed doors due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. 

In surreal circumstances, O’Sullivan looked at ease and up for the job as he crushed Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 10-1 in the first round in a record time of just 108 minutes – bettering the previous benchmark by over 40 minutes. 

O’Sullivan had to exhibit different qualities in his next three outings. Locked at 4-4 and 8-8 after their first two sessions, he overcame Ding Junhui 13-10 in the last 16 before coming back from 8-4 down to overhaul Mark Williams 13-10 in the quarter-finals. 

A true Crucible classic was dished up in the semis as O’Sullivan had to dig deep to defeat the man who denied him in 2014, Mark Selby. 

Having trailed early on, it looked like Selby was going to repeat the trick as he recovered and took the lead, but O’Sullivan found something as he retrieved a 13-9 deficit and eventually won the final three frames – including a pulsating decider – for an epic 17-16 win. 

Perhaps fatigued by their heroics the day before, both O’Sullivan and first-time finalist Kyren Wilson weren’t in great form for day one of the title match. The five-time winner etched out a commanding 8-2 lead, but a dogged Wilson gave himself a genuine chance as he fought back to trail by just three frames overnight. 

The gap was cut to two at the start of the concluding day, but like he has done several times there before, O’Sullivan produced a burst of brilliance with an eight-frame winning streak for an ultimately comfortable 18-8 success.

2022

Defeated in the last 16 the year before, O’Sullivan went into the 2022 World Championship with six world crowns – still level with Ray Reardon and Steve Davis. 

The 46-year-old was in bother early on as he fell 3-0 behind to Dave Gilbert in round one, but a break of 122 helped spark a six-frame salvo and eventually a 10-5 progression. 

Largely stress-free wins against Mark Allen (13-4) and Stephen Maguire (13-5) followed before the 'El Classico' of the snooker world as O'Sullivan met John Higgins in the semi-finals - 24 years on from the first time they clashed in the one-table set-up. 

Four-time world champion Higgins led 3-0 although O’Sullivan claimed ten of the next 13 frames to lead 10-6 at the end of the second session.  

The threat of a Higgins comeback is always high, and O’Sullivan heeded that warning as he ran out a 17-11 victor, highlighted with five centuries. 

Standing in O’Sullivan’s way of his seventh world crown was Judd Trump, the winner from three years before. 

A generational clash with two of the sport's greatest ever natural talents, O'Sullivan pulled rank and was in total control at 12-5 up overnight, but on resumption the following day, Trump rallied with five of the next six frames to put O'Sullivan in real jeopardy. 

Starting the final session 14-11 up, O'Sullivan flicked a switch and roared home with a string of frame-winning breaks to complete an 18-13 victory and a seventh world championship accolade, drawing him level with Stephen Hendry.