World Snooker Championship 2026 recap - Frustrated Ronnie O'Sullivan pegged back by John Higgins to set up thrilling final session

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John Higgins pegged Ronnie O’Sullivan back in a fascinating second session to revive his World Championship hopes.

'Ouch!' - O'Sullivan punches table in fury after missing routine red

Video credit: TNT Sports

O’Sullivan twice opened up a five-frame cushion but could never fully shake the Scot. And Higgins showcased all his grit and determination to haul himself back from the brink, trailing 9-7 in a race to 13 before Monday afternoon's deciding session.

The first four frames were shared but, when O’Sullivan made a break of 91 after the interval to move 9-4 ahead, the writing looked on the wall. Higgins, however, was reading from a different script.

Never beaten, the Scot responded with a break of 71 before winning two scrappy frames to frustrate O'Sullivan, who punched the table in disgust after a simple miss, and set up a thrilling final session.

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On the other table, Wu Yize opened up a 9-7 lead over Mark Selby.

Selby took the opener to lead 5-4, but Wu roared back, winning five of the next six frames to assume control, the Chinese player overwhelming his vastly experienced opponent with his immense potting ability.

But the four-time world champion dug deep to take the final frame of the evening with a break of 81, leaving the contest well poised.

'What a frame' - Higgins clears to cut O'Sullivan's lead and set up thrilling finale

Video credit: TNT Sports

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Selby 7-9 Wu

Frame ball wriggles in for Selby and he can breathe a sigh of relief. He is still going to enter the final session trailing, but it could have been worse.

A century isn’t possible, but he clears the table for a break of 81.

They will play to a finish tomorrow afternoon with Wu leading 9-7.

Selby 6-9 Wu (58-1)

Wu misses a rare long one, presenting Selby with a chance to immediately hit back. He takes them well to get to 45 but gets very unlucky when he sticks on the pink after going into the bunch.

In fact, he is completely snookered on the reds. Hitting one is easy but it’s a matter of getting it safe.

He opts to slowly roll up to one and executes pretty well.

Wu is checking if there’s a plant and looks to be sizing it up. He goes for it and hits the wrong red first, but wait, he flukes one into the right middle. Selby can barely believe it.

There’s no colour available for Wu, though, and his horrible safety shot gives Selby another chance to win the frame.

Selby 6-9 Wu

Selby is forced to pot the green and is then unlucky to find himself snookered after Wu misses the brown. But he escapes and on we go.

A few shots later, Wu has a chance on a long brown and he absolutely nails it. Selby has now seen enough. It’s 9-6.

Selby 6-8 Wu (34-63)

On the other table, Wu continues to impress. He slots a tough pink to middle to land on the yellow, which he cuts in to move 29 ahead with just 25 remaining.

Wu plays safe off the green and Selby comes back to the table.

O'Sullivan 9-7 Higgins

Higgins wins the frame.

The quality wasn't there in terms of the snooker on display, but the drama, my word.

Higgins clears to the pink to claim the final frame of the session and pull within two of O'Sullivan.

Neither player had their best stuff, but it was the Scot who dug out the scrappy frames to get back into the contest.

'Ouch!' - O'Sullivan punches table in fury after missing routine red

Video credit: TNT Sports

O’Sullivan 9-6 Higgins (53-52)

DRAMA!

Now it’s the turn of Higgins to miss jaw a red into one of the top corner bags, but O’Sullivan is snookered on it.

Higgins then leaves the red over a bottom corner bag but O’Sullivan goes in-off when potting it.

Now Higgins has the chance to mop the frame up on the colours.

O’Sullivan 9-6 Higgins (53-39)

Bridging over a red, O’Sullivan produces a great piece of cueing to keep the break going in the early stages. He draws level on points with Higgins, but the balls are all there for him. It should really be 10-6 from here.

He’s slightly short of pace for the final red, so he needs to take it into top-left corner, and he misses. Incredible stuff.

He gets second prize in snookering Higgins, but he’ll be incredibly disappointed to have let such a good chance slip.

O’Sullivan 9-6 Higgins (16-39)

This really is a massive frame. Few would have seen 9-7 as a possibility when it was 9-4, but that’s the psychological blow Higgins can land here.

He’s labouring for position but is potting himself out of trouble well. That is, until the white goes in after a good red.

Over to you, Ronnie.

O’Sullivan 9-7 Higgins (0-21)

O’Sullivan goes close with a long red, but it doesn’t fall. Higgins then gets in but runs out of position when he splits the pack.

The Rocket is then given another chance on a red, one he should really pot, but he misses and is not happy.

He punches the table in disgust as he walks back to his chair.

Higgins cuts in a red and now has a great opportunity to take another frame.

O’Sullivan 9-6 Higgins

O’Sullivan is snookered and he just catches a thin edge of the red. But he’s left it on and Higgins pots it right in the heart. Now the clearance is on.

He needs them all and although the brown and black are away from their spots, they shouldn’t cause any trouble. It’s simply a question of bottle.

Higgins is up to the task and suddenly it’s 9-6. Game on?

O’Sullivan 9-5 Higgins (55-25)

It’s a tough table, with two reds near the bottom cushion and one tied up behind the black on the side cushion.

Higgins runs out of position before he can try move the final red and plays safe, but he’s back in it.

Higgins unimpressed with 'really upsetting' miss after crowd distraction

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O’Sullivan 9-5 Higgins (55-1)

The reds are so well-placed, the break almost requires more thought. As such, O’Sullivan is taking a little more time on it than usual. It isn’t much, but enough to be noticeable.

After drilling a good blue into the top-left corner, he leaves himself an awkward cutback on a red, and misses it on the near jaw, so Higgins has a reprieve.

The Scot pots a good starting red.

O’Sullivan 9-5 Higgins (10-0)

Cautio has been thrown to the wind. Higgins takes on a five-ball plant and it misses. By quite a considerable distance.

Now the world has been left for O’Sullivan. Although having said that, he runs slightly out of position after the opening red. However, he recovers well by cutting in a tricky brown and now could be on his way to making a big break.

O’Sullivan 9-5 Higgins

The baulk colours aren’t sitting that well and O’Sullivan lands a little too straight on the yellow. Forcing it, he runs slightly awkward on the green and overcuts it, leaving it over the top-right corner.

Higgins gratefully nudges the green in but doesn’t land on the brown. O’Sullivan returns to pot the brown and only needs one snooker again.

But a few shots later, The Rocket leaves the blue over a pocket and Higgins eventually gets this frame on the board.

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O’Sullivan 9-4 Higgins (46-71)

O’Sullivan lays a snooker behind the blue and gets the tap on the table from Higgins. The Scot plays it at pace and judges it to perfection, sending the red back up into the baulk area.

For all the big breaks are great to watch, seeing two icons of the sport go toe-to-toe in a safety exchange is fascinating.

O’Sullivan sticks Higgins in another snooker but this time, the Scot can’t escape. And to make matters worse, he’s hit the pink. So O’Sullivan can now win the frame.

He nails the red into the corner and is on the black. Oh my.

O’Sullivan 9-4 Higgins (32-71)

O’Sullivan pots four reds and blacks in no time at all but just overhits his attempt to snooker Higgins from the final red.

Still, needing just one four-point snooker, The Rocket is back in the frame.

O’Sullivan 9-4 Higgins (9-71)

Higgins is taking these well. So well, in fact, he’s 40 points into a 147. He couldn’t?

A couple of pinks put paid to any ideas of a maximum, but the frame is all he’ll care about. He pots a good red along the bottom rail, meaning he just needs the black and one more red.

He gets them but misses the next black to make absolutely certain.

O’Sullivan comes back to the table trailing by 71 points with 67 left.

O’Sullivan 9-4 Higgins (0-16)

O’Sullivan misses a pretty straightforward red that’s over the bottom-right corner, leaving Higgins a chance.

There are some cries of ”come on, John” from the audience for the first time tonight. They must sense he needs all the help he can get.

The Scot pots a good opener and is immediately on the black. Time to dig deep.

Wu leads Selby 7-5

On the other table, the players are away for their mid-session interval and it’s Wu who holds the advantage.

The Chinese player has reeled off three frames in a row to take a 7-5 lead against Selby.

O’Sullivan 9-4 Higgins

And just like that, it’s 9-4.

At full flow, there’s still nobody like O’Sullivan. He races past the winning line and now has another century within his grasp.

Sadly, he misses the final red and has to settle for a break of 94. He might care, he might not. Either way, he is now guaranteed a lead to take into the third session of this match.

O’Sullivan 8-4 Higgins (35-8)

Higgins pots a sublime opening red from distance and immediately goes into the pack from the subsequent black.

He’s left with a tricky red from near the side cushion and gets up off the shot after being distracted by someone in the crowd. He settles back into it and misses it.

Back in his chair, he does not look happy and directs a look towards the culprit.

O’Sullivan is left an easy opener and is now mopping up points Higgins will feel like should have been his.

O'Sullivan's chalk could be contributing to Higgins' struggles - McManus

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O’Sullivan 8-4 Higgins (0-0)

The players are back out for the final four frames of this session.

Wu ahead

On the other table, Wu has responded to falling 5-4 behind by winning the 10th and 11th frames. So he now leads 6-5 with one more frame to come before the break.

That has all the hallmarks of a match that's going all the way.

O’Sullivan 8-4 Higgins

The yellow is sitting superbly for getting snooker and O’Sullivan twice comes within a couple of inches of landing right behind it.

He then takes on a mid-range red and jaws it before conceding the frame.

So it's as they were at the mid-session interval, with Higgins trailing by four frames. But you'd think he'll need to win the next mini-session 3-1 at the very least.

O’Sullivan 8-3 Higgins (7-63)

O’Sullivan catches the black with a safety and leaves Higgins a half-chance at a red. If he makes it, the frame is almost certainly his. It wriggles before dropping and the black puts him 56 ahead with just 51 on.

Higgins doesn’t land on the next red, though, and O’Sullivan comes back to the table needing two snookers.

O’Sullivan 8-3 Higgins (7-55)

Higgins has to take on a three-ball plant to keep the break going, but he makes it. He is edging closer to the winning line.

He just one more red and colour, but he’s landed tight on the cushion. He jaws the red and here comes O’Sullivan, who pots a brilliant opener.

The balls are not lying favourably, though, and he can only manage six before missing.

O’Sullivan 8-3 Higgins (1-37)

Higgins canons a red he doesn’t want to after potting the blue. End of break? He recovers by floating in a really tricky red to the right middle.

The black and pink remain tied up, so hope is not lost for O’Sullivan.

Higgins falls short on the blue and has to go in and out of baulk, but he plays it brilliantly, landing perfectly on the next red.

Watch: O'Sullivan hits 'spellbinding' century clearance to further lead over Higgins

Video credit: TNT Sports

O’Sullivan 8-3 Higgins (6-1)

Higgins breaks off and he must have caught the pack thick again, because a number of the reda have sprung loose.

There is a tempter there for O’Sullivan, but he refuses it, instead opting to play safe.

Higgins then leaves a red to middle after an aggressive safety shot and O’Sullivan makes no mistake. A tough blue is the reward, and he can’t get it to fall.

Suddenly, Higgins has a chance. The pink and black are tied up so he’ll need to work with the blue, but most of the reds are out in the open.

O’Sullivan 8-3 Higgins

O’Sullivan makes it look easy, picking the balls off at will. He moves 59 ahead with 51 remaining and cuts in an extremely thin red to put the frame beyond doubt.

Now a second successive century is on the cards. There are no obvious obstacles, but after potting the final red, he misses the black.

Still, it’s another frame on the board. It’s a long way back now for Higgins, who surely has to win the next frame to have any hope.

'Where did he find that one?' - Crucible crowd left purring over 'magnificent' O'Sullivan red

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O’Sullivan 7-3 Higgins (31-8)

Higgins finishes really high on the black, so high he has to use the rest to take it on. It’s a horrid prospect and he misses it badly, leaving The Rocket an opportunity.

There are still some loose reds, but the main pack of six is very tight. He nudges one out from the black, but this break will require some work.

'What a fluke' - O'Sullivan gains good fortune after 'nervous' red

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O’Sullivan 7-3 Higgins (1-8)

Higgins plays a very aggressive safety, splitting loose a handful of reds. Crucially, he’s left a tempter for O’Sullivan. The Rocket takes it on and gets it, but the cue ball has a fraction too much pace on it, meaning he is snookered on the pink and black.

He opts to play safe and soon finds himself in trouble. His attempt to screw back into baulk leaves a red over the bottom-left bag and now Higgins is at the table with a chance to put some points on the board.

Higgins gets fortunate escape from 'strange' break-off

Video credit: TNT Sports

Selby hits the front

On the other table, Selby has won the first frame to move into a 5-4 lead. Wu is currently at the table but is only on a break of 13 at the moment.

O’Sullivan 7-3 Higgins

O’Sullivan lands woefully short on the blue – a glimmer of hope for Higgins? The Rocket makes it look easy, swinging the cue ball in and out of baulk to land perfectly back on a red.

He quickly puts the frame beyond doubt, so can he now make the century? The reds are in great positions, so it would be surprising if he didn’t.

His cue-ball control really is a joy to behold. He pots the blue for the century and completes the clearance for a break of 116 and a four-frame lead once again. Supreme!

O’Sullivan 6-3 Higgins (38-1)

O’Sullivan is unlucky when he goes into the bunch and lands on nothing, so he has to play safe.

The table is awkward and O’Sullivan feels he has to go for what is an incredibly tough red. But he drills it in and follows it up with a brilliant brown. In just three shots he is in prime position among the balls with a great chance to win his first frame of the evening.

Referee is 'beyond reproach' for Wakelin foul controversy - McManus

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O’Sullivan 6-3 Higgins (16-1)

The Rocket gets the first chance of the second frame after a wild Higgins miss. The balls aren’t lying great, so he’s immediately forced into taking on a really tough red along the bottom rail. He makes a great pass at it, but it rattles the jaws and stays above ground.

Higgins steps up and pots the red Ronnie missed and now has an opportunity of his own. But he misses the yellow to the right middle.

Back to O’Sullivan. He misses badly but the red hits the jaws, rolls along the rail and goes in the opposite corner. How important a fluke could that be?

O’Sullivan 6-3 Higgins (0-0)

Higgins hits the break very thick – a la Shaun Murphy – and catches the pink, but somehow, the cue ball makes its way tight onto the baulk cushion.

O’Sullivan plays a good safety in response but might have felt he deserved a chance at a red after such a blunder.

O’Sullivan 6-3 Higgins

That’s exactly the start Higgins would have been hoping for. He makes a break of 83 and clears the table to lay down an early marker.

Falling five frames behind would have made his task so much harder, but back within three, it feels like game on again.

O’Sullivan 6-2 Higgins (22-44)

Higgins goes into the pack and splits them well but ends up on nothing – that’s very unlucky again. He has no option but to play safe and head back to his chair.

With the frame in the balance and the reds spread, the next chance is huge. O’Sullivan double kisses a red after a poor safety but gets away with it. Or does he? Higgins nails a superb reverse double and lands beautifully on the brown.

He’s back in and now has no excuses if he doesn’t put this frame on the board.

O’Sullivan 6-2 Higgins (22-23)

Wow, O’Sullivan misses a sitter. He was bridging but it still looked unmissable. Now Higgins has a superb opportunity to win the frame – he needs to take these types of chances if he is to have any hope of pulling off a comeback.

O’Sullivan 6-2 Higgins (22-0)

A safety battle to kick things off, which is probably good news for Higgins. You would think it would suit the Scotsman if things go scrappy.

But he gifts O’Sullivan an early chance after rattling the jaws with an attempt at a long red. He can count himself a little unlucky there.

A first opportunity to see how The Rocket is cueing tonight.

O’Sullivan 6-2 Higgins (0-0)

O’Sullivan gets the second session underway – here we go!

White: Ronnie really wants to win an eighth title

Ahead of the resumption, TNT Sports expert Jimmy White said: "He brought two cues, we’re always not sure about that but he’s happy with both. Refusing a few balls shows me he really wants to win [and] doesn’t want to rush it.

"He feels good and when he gets in the balls he looks like he’s going to score and win the frame in one visit. He’s done everything right.

"He plays it down talking about if he wins the eighth world title. Make no mistake, after the way he lost last year, no disrespect to the players he beat to get to the semi-finals, but we knew he was going to get beaten last year because he wasn’t playing well enough to win the World Championship.

"This year, he is playing well enough. He’s still got to get past John Higgins but his game looks in fantastic shape."

Selby v Wu well poised

On the other table, four-time world champion Mark Selby will resume his match against the supremely talented Wu Yize.

Selby started like a train, back-to-back centuries vaulting him into a 2-0 lead, but Wu responded by winning four of the next five frames. Then came a bizarre finale to the last frame of the first session.

With Selby ahead, he left the final red hanging over the right middle after an uncharacteristically poor safety shot. A 5-3 advantage was beckoning, but in potting the red Wu went in-off to throw the chance away.

Selby took his reprieve to make it honours even heading into tonight’s session.

‘That is unbelievable’ – Selby and Wu trade calamitous errors in dramatic frame

Video credit: TNT Sports

Can Higgins get back into it?

This clash was given the big build-up before it got underway – and rightly so – but it was quite a one-sided first session. So the question now is: can John Higgins respond?

Over a career spanning more than three decades, he’s shown his grit on countless occasions, so you can never rule him out. But he’ll need a strong start to stifle The Rocket, who has shown incredible fluency so far in Sheffield.

The action begins soon, so get ready for what could be a classic night of snooker at the sport’s most iconic venue.