Ronnie O'Sullivan in control on record-extending 34th World Snooker Championship appearance

O’Sullivan leads Crucible debutant He 7-2 after their opening session on Tuesday afternoon, and requires only three more frames when they resume on Wednesday (14:30BST) to set up a mouth-watering last 16 clash with fellow ‘Class of 92’ graduate John Higgins.

‘The Rocket’ is aiming to win an eighth World Snooker Championship title, which would be a modern-day record putting him clear of fellow seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry with whom he currently shares the benchmark with.

The record 23-time Triple Crown event winner has not claimed a professional title in over two years, but has travelled to Sheffield with renewed hope having produced a run to the final of last month's World Open in Yushan, China, during which he fashioned a world record break of 153.

Only his second competitive appearance on UK soil this season, O'Sullivan settled in against his 25-year-old opponent with a break of 72 in the opening frame before a 97 doubled his advantage.

He - one of four Crucible debutants in this year’s main draw - led in frame three, but it was O'Sullivan who took it on the final pink. The Englishman then compiled a 113 to hold a 4-0 mid-session lead.

On resumption, the one-way traffic continued as O’Sullivan took another frame on the final pink after He missed a blue whilst trying to force an angle.

Things were looking very grim for world number 47 He - who won two qualifying round matches at the English Institute of Sport earlier this month - but he got on the scoreboard in frame six, and then went back-to-back with a 77 break in frame seven.

But just when the 2023/24 World Snooker Tour ‘Rookie of the Year’ award winner was building some momentum, he missed early on in the next, and O’Sullivan later took the frame with the aid of a 52.

In the final frame of the afternoon, snooker’s greatest-ever break-builder constructed a classy effort of 86 - almost entirely made from pinks - to put himself firmly in control, and on the brink of making the second round of the sport’s flagship competition for the 30th time.

This year is O’Sullivan’s record-extending 34th Crucible appearance; he has performed on the grand stage every year since his debut in 1993 which came in his rookie professional season.

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