3 weeks ago
Seven-time champion Ronnie O'Sullivan raced done nan 2 frames he needed to thrash Welsh qualifier Jackson Page 10-1 and move into nan past 16 astatine nan World Championship.
O'Sullivan, 48, is aiming to triumph his eighth title and move clear of Stephen Hendry's people of 7 Crucible successes successful nan 1980s, and he began Thursday's play pinch an emphatic 8-1 lead complete his 22-year-old opponent.
A break of 79 took O'Sullivan 1 framework distant and he clinched triumph soon afterwards.
He will now play different Welsh subordinate successful Ryan Day, who defeated 15th seed Barry Hawkins 10-8 successful Wednesday's evening session.
O'Sullivan's winning separator was nan associated largest astatine this year's competition, matching Kyren Wilson's 10-1 triumph complete Dominic Dale.
In Thursday's evening convention (19:00 BST) John Higgins completes nan first information arsenic his lucifer pinch Jamie Jones will beryllium played to a conclusion.
Welshman Jones qualified pinch a triumph complete 2010 victor Neil Robertson and is aiming to backmost that up pinch a triumph complete nan four-time world champion.
Higgins, 48, holds a 5-4 lead aft a hard-fought first convention and needs a triumph to person a chance of staying wrong nan world's apical 16.
There is speculation nan 1998, 2007, 2009 and 2011 victor will discontinue if he was to autumn retired of nan apical 16, pinch him telling BBC Sport he would "evaluate" his early aft nan title has finished.
If Higgins was to lose, it would group a caller grounds for nan highest number of seeds to beryllium eliminated successful nan first round.
Eight of nan apical 16 - Luca Brecel, Mark Selby, Mark Williams, Ding Junhui, Ali Carter, Gary Wilson, Zhang Anda and Barry Hawkins - person each lost, level pinch nan 8 that fell successful 1980, 1992 and 2012.
The 2nd information began connected Thursday, pinch 16th seed Robert Milkins taking connected David Gilbert, nan man who hit 2023 champion Brecel connected nan opening day.
In nan evening session, world number 2 Judd Trump originates his last-16 lucifer against 14th seed Tom Ford.
