Ronnie O'Sullivan races through to round two of 2025 World Snooker Championship on competitive return

The seven-time champion was playing his first match on the professional circuit in over three months, and it was his first time on British soil in front of the television cameras since November.

O’Sullivan - who was making a record-extending 33rd Crucible appearance - moves into round two of snooker’s blue riband event for an incredible 29th time in his illustrious career.

Neither player hit top gear during their first session on Tuesday afternoon, as both struggled to find rhythm and consistency. Breaks of 107 and 85 did help O’Sullivan to a 5-2 lead, but world number 18 Carter dug deep, winning frame eight with a 107 and then the final frame of the session on the colours from behind to keep in touch at just 5-4 down overnight.

However, on resumption Wednesday afternoon for their concluding session, O’Sullivan immediately looked pin-sharp and on it, as efforts of 59 and 50 aided him to the first frame of the day.

The record 41-time ranking event champion - assisted by his out-of-sorts opponent and a bit of good fortune on his side - continued his power scoring with runs of 117, 74 and 123 as he went into the final mid-session interval one away from the winning target at 9-4 up.

Not long later, O’Sullivan wrapped up an impressive win with a 131 total clearance - his third ton in four frames.

The contest between O’Sullivan and Carter was billed as a ‘grudge match’, but there didn’t appear to be any needle out in the arena, and both players exchanged a pleasant handshake prior to the start.

The two met in World Championship finals in 2008 and 2012 - O’Sullivan won both showpiece occasions - but Carter registered his only career victory over O’Sullivan on a big stage the last time they played each other at the Crucible in 2018. That clash featured the famous ‘bargegate’ incident that saw referee Paul Collier stepping in to intervene after verbals were traded.

There are questions still to be answered on his long game, but given the fact he hadn’t played competitively since the Championship League Invitational in early January and that he is getting to grips with new playing equipment, O’Sullivan will surely be very pleased with his scoring, especially in the second session.

Six-time ranking event winner Carter was poor for the majority of the match and didn’t apply much pressure, but O’Sullivan will be happy that he didn’t open a door and get involved in a close finish, having been just one frame in front when the two resumed earlier today.

Next up for O'Sullivan in round two is China's Pang Junxu in a three-session, best of 25 frames tie that starts on Saturday afternoon.

World number 27 Pang has qualified for the Crucible for a third year running; he recorded his first match win at the venue when he defeated fellow countryman and number 12 seed Zhang Anda, 10-7 in round one, having been 7-5 behind.

O'Sullivan and Pang have met four times before on a big stage in the professional ranks (3-1 to O'Sullivan), including at the Crucible in 2023, when on his debut there, Pang went out to the then defending champion 10-7 in the first round.

However, 25-year-old Pang - who has been to a ranking event final - did get the better of O'Sullivan in their most recent meeting, when he won 6-4 in the last 32 of the 2024 International Championship in China earlier this season.

Speaking with the BBC shortly after his win, O’Sullivan said: "I had no expectations so there were no nerves, I didn't expect to perform well based on the past three or four years. I just wanted to make a game of it.

"Ali had his chances yesterday, on another day he would been 6-3 up [after the first session], and again today he had a couple of chances. I cued a lot better than I did yesterday."

Please visit our 2025 World Snooker Championship tournament information centre here for details on the draw, results, format and order of play.