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Ronnie O’Sullivan dusted off an old cue from under his bed in Ireland and duly rocketed into the second round of the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield after wrapping up a 10-2 win over He Guoqiang.
O’Sullivan required just 35 minutes to turn a 7-2 overnight advantage into another comfortable Crucible win, then revealed he had made the switch as he looks to gain momentum in his quest for a record-breaking eighth title at the venue.
O’Sullivan said: “My cue was hopeless yesterday. It was only because I’m feeling all right that I was able to get away with it. I felt like I could play the shots that I like today. It was stuck under my bed in Ireland, basically, for most of the year until I came here.”
Two centuries confirmed O’Sullivan’s march into a last-16 showdown with fellow 50-year-old John Higgins, which starts on Saturday night, and will serve as a classic antidote to the emerging narrative of up-and-comers including first-time qualifiers Stan Moody and Liam Pullen.
While the young British duo have already fallen to defeats against Kyren Wilson and Chris Wakelin respectively, the Class of 92 members march on although O’Sullivan, who has again missed a slew of ranking tournaments this season, insists he is unsure about his ability to go all the way.
“It’s hard, because I haven’t played enough top players regularly to know,” added O’Sullivan. “It was hard but I need to improve. I’m still a bit rusty, obviously we’ll have to wait and see. Nothing’s impossible.”
In a post-match television interview, O’Sullivan jokingly described the tournament’s practice room as a “creche”, but picked out the likes of Moody and Pullen as special talents who could challenge the increasing Chinese dominance of the sport.
“I always say hello to the boys,” added O’Sullivan. “Stan gave me a little nod the other day. He’s a lovely boy and a great player. He’s got a lovely cue action and the way he gets through the ball, I think he’s going to be a world champion for sure. Liam Pullen is a lovely guy. I like seeing all the youngsters coming through. It does make you feel a little bit out of place, thinking, ‘why am I still here?’”
O’Sullivan did not need to break sweat to see off He, who had been plainly struck by nerves in Monday’s opening session and could offer little upon the resumption as O’Sullivan steam-rollered home with back-to-back knocks of 113 and 100.
It nudges him closer to eclipsing Stephen Hendry and becoming an eight-time Crucible winner, but O’Sullivan stressed the additional work that is required these days in order to stay ahead of the emergent new generations.
“I’m quite happy being in this situation,” he added. “If you told me I’d be here, not favourite to win but maybe sixth or seventh favourite and enjoying the game, I’d say: ‘Yeah, great’.
“It’s harder to go in with both feet and put your whole life into it, because you’re not sure if you’re going to get the wins. That’s why I do little stints now. I just want to enjoy myself and not be a slave to the game.”
Earlier, Hossein Vafaei began his campaign against Si Jiahui but the groundbreaking Iranian admits it has been hard to focus because of the bombardment of his country by the United States and Israel.
The war, which began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February, has since engulfed the Gulf countries and Lebanon and ignited fears of a global energy shock. For now, an uneasy truce reigns which was extended by the US president Donald Trump at the 11th hour on Tuesday.
The 31-year-old Vafaei – Iran’s first professional snooker player – managed to blank out worries about his loved ones back home to qualify for what is his fifth appearance in the championship. However, Vafaei, who made history when he won a world-ranking tournament in 2022, told the BBC it was hard for others to imagine the rollercoaster of emotions he is going through.
“You get a bad text in the day and you can’t focus on your job. How can I focus?” said Vafaei, who reached the last 16 in 2023 and 2025. “No one knows how tough it is but hopefully it will be over soon, then the safety comes back to my country.”
Vafaei, who took a 6-3 lead over the 2023 semi-finalist Si Jiahui of China, said fortunately for his peace of mind his family had not been harmed during the war. “It’s been very hard, very, very hard. My family are safe,” said Vafaei, who is known as the “Persian Prince”. “I’m fighting as well for my country, for my family and I’m trying my best and will give it my all.”
Vafaei, who hails from Abadan in the southwestern province of Khuzestan bordering Iraq, said his match would be watched in Iran and he hoped to give his compatriots a much-needed lift.
“If I do well, if they can see me – of course, some of them can see me – it will be a proud moment,” said Vafaei.
The four-time winner Mark Selby made short work of the 2024 finalist Jak Jones on Wednesday easing to a 10-2 victory.
