John Higgins pips Ronnie O'Sullivan in final-frame decider, Wu Yize beats Mark Selby on memorable day at World Snooker Championship

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World Snooker Championship 2026 live comments and streaming details. TNT Sports brings you frame-by-frame updates as Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins conclude their second-round clash at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. The Monday afternoon also sees Mark Selby resume his match with Wu Yize. All the action starts at 13:00.

'As angry as you'll ever see him' - McManus reacts to O'Sullivan PUNCHING table after miss

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Higgins edges O'Sullivan and Wu sees off Selby

John Higgins is not only one of the best snooker players ever, but one of the greatest competitors in any sport, with both aspects on show as he beat Ronnie O'Sullivan 13-12 having trailed 9-4. And where, last evening, he arrowed the gap with doughty clearances, this afternoon, he dominated the opening exchanges with terrific play, winning the first three frames to move in front for the first time in the match. But O'Sullivan refused to succumb, a wondrous clearance under pressure followed by a century break restoring his advantage and putting him one up with two to play. From there, though, it was Higgins who prevailed – despite a kick on match-ball taking him out of position – setting up a last-eight encounter with Neil Robertson of Chris Wakelin, while Wu Yize did just enough to beat his nerves and Mark Selby, a 13-11 win earning him a match against Judd Trump or Hossein Vafaei.

Wu Yize beats Mark Selby 13-11

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A fantastic win for the young man, who held it together, just. Next for him: Judd Trump or Hossein Vafaei.

World Championship LIVE - Selby 11-12 Wu (27-67)

Mark goes at a red, misses, then Wu does likewise and does likewise. So Selbz, demon pool player that he is, takes on a double ... and it's there! But he must now force in the blue, having opted against not taking on the pot and liberating the big dogs ... AND HE CANNOT! Wu is going to win!

World Championship LIVE - Selby 11-12 Wu (26-66)

A long starter ... sunk by Mark, then the blue into the yellow bag. Will he attempt the long red to keep the run going? Yes he will, slowly slowly closing the gap ... but this tiue, he undercuts and by a way, getting lucky ewith the run. So Wu lays a snooker, the ecape misses, and this is almost over! Can Wu send a mid-range red to the yellow pocket? You betcha! He's so good at punching the ball in, but the blue isn't easy ... this for the match ... and it's not quite there! There are 43 points remianing, but the poink and black are out of commission.

World Championship LIVE - Selby 11-12 Wu (20-61)

Mark flukes a snooker and Wu fouls when escaping, then closes the gap when his young opponent misses twice more later on, before surprisingy refusing a starter, knowing that if things don't work out, it's curtains. No matter: he's immediatrly offered another opportunity, sinking a red ... only to get no position on a colour, so he brings the brown off the cushion and on we go.

World Championship LIVE - Selby 11-12 Wu (7-61)

This is much better from Wu, who suddenly looks confident around the table. He's a future world champion but it's hard to see that happening this year because of how badly nerves affect him; perhaps this match will help him overcome his nerves. He does, though, run out of position having sent a pink to corner while bridging awkwardly; end of break, 67 left, and that's a terrific contribution under all sorts of pressure. He plays safe with green, brown and blue on cushions, which is to say he's nearly there.

World Championship LIVE - Selby 11-12 Wu (7-32)

"If he doesn't put this match away soon, he's not winning it at all," intones Fouldsy, while the man himself pots balls. At some point, he'll need to attack the pack, tries early, releases nothing, and on he goes.

World Championship LIVE - Selby 11-12 Wu (7-17)

Again, Wu unloads the suitcase at a plant, again he's nowhere near, but this time, he gets the white around the angles at back down the table, leaving nowt. AND HAVE A LOOK! Next go, offered the kind of pot he likes – long, just off the straight – he caresses home a beauty, adds the black, and this is another chance to get this won.

World Championship LIVE - Selby 11-12 Wu (7-8)

Oh, Wu. He takes on a plant that isn't there, doesn't get close, and pots the pink. If Mark keeps it sensible, he should win from here, because his young opponent has gone, but he misses to middle, and this is miserabe from both men.

Selby smacks table after miss - 'Cue made a sickening noise'

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World Championship LIVE - Selby 11-12 Wu (1-8)

Is Wu seriously taking on a ball to middle from the baulk rail? He is you know ... and what a pot that is! The stones to go at it and the skill to sink it, amazing. From here, he should at least take command of the frame, but again, he and pressure are not mates, so ... oh, and he decelerates through another shot! He's struggling here, especially with the touch shots, and Mark won't be able to believe his luck ... except as I type, he butchers a simple blue, a that is late-era him: just as good, but now capable of missing when you least expect it.

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It is available both live and on-demand on HBO Max.

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Here is the TNT Sports schedule and TV guide.

World Championship LIVE - Selby 11-12 Wu

Mark polishes off the frame and wu needs to steady himself – easier said than done.

'What a contest between two all-time legends' - Higgins celebrates epic win over O'Sullivan

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World Championship LIVE - Selby 10-12 Wu (59-28)

Recovery-red to corner, cut from middle ... is there. That's a very good shot, but he then runs out of position ... except a terrible shot from Wu develops two previously out-of-commission reds, and he's feeling it, no question about it.

World Championship LIVE - Selby 10-12 Wu (41-28)

He closes the gap, but a red just above the top rail ... he decelerates through the shot ... and it's overcut! Selby will surely halve the deficit from here...

World Championship LIVE - Selby 10-12 Wu (40-1)

Mark takes his time over a plant that needs making ... and he cannot! If Wu can cuta starter into the green basg, he's in business, but it's worth noting he has form for choking. Here he goes ... and it's there! This would be the biggest win of his career; can he hold it down?

World Championship LIVE - Selby 10-12 Wu (9-0)

Wu misses then Mark tickles along the top rail to corner ... it thinks about it, bounces from jaw to jaw, stops ... and drops! There are points out there for him.

World Championship LIVE - Selby 10-12 Wu

Much as we'd love to rhapsidose the great John Higgins and the genius Ronnie O'Sullivan, we're off to our other match...

World Championship LIVE - John Higgins beats Ronnie O'Sullivan 13-12

Next for him: Neil Robertson or Chris Wakelin.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 12-12 O'Sullivan (57-8)

Ronnie leaves pot to middle ...AND JOHN STROKES IT TO MIDDLE! Gracioiusly, Ronnie concedes, John fist-pumps to the crowd, and he wins an absolute classic for the ages! Eaven by his standards, that is a stupefying piece of work, coming back from 9-4 down with some of the steeliest snooker imaginable. We are lucky to be living in his time.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 12-12 O'Sullivan (56-8)

OH MY COMPLETE AND UTTER ABSOLUTE DAYS! Needing a red to get to the black, match ball, John gets a kick! This game! He can't believe it, no one can believe it, iamd t's now a missable ball, cut with the rest to right corner ... AND HE MISSES IT BY A MILE! Ronnie lives, just!

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 12-12 O'Sullivan (56-8)

In typical style, John pots with minimum fuss and maximum prejudice. He did brilliantly under pressure last evening, and today he's been his full self, nailing long pots and building breaks; he's nearly there.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 12-12 O'Sullivan (38-8)

...but he slots it beautifully without touching the sides! That might be the shot that does it, though there's work yet to do.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 12-12 O'Sullivan (32-8)

Oh yes! Ronnie makes dead sure! Great effort, he's on the black, and will he go into the bunch? Yes he will, but it leasves him a minger to corner ... and he can't send it home! One chance each, both bussed, but John loses the white and must now take on a mid-distance diag to the yellow bag. His pulse will be doing happy hardcore beats; I'm surprised he can even hold the cue...

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 12-12 O'Sullivan (16-0)

Ronnie's break leaves a starter, but if John misses it, then what?! Here he goes ... and, yet again, he creams a beauty into the leather! He'll have to open the pack at some point, always fraught with danger, and when he goes at it, the white lands near the side, with only a ball to middle available. Here he goes, one of the best middle-pocket potters we've ever seen ... and it's not there! Can Ronnie measure to rght corner? He's been erratic from distance in the second half of this match, and under this pressure? Good luck, old mate.

World Championship LIVE - on table two

Mark Selby 9-12 Wu Yize

Selbz is in all sorts.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 12-12 O'Sullivan

We're getting the decider we, they and the competition deserve. What an absolute treat; dig in, mates!

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 12-11 O'Sullivan (21-81)

We are so, so privileed to be watching these two. I've been at it since I was teenager, and I'm 47 now! Is one exclamation mark even enough for that? We're going all the way.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 12-11 O'Sullivan (21-50)

Oh my days, both Selbz and Wu miss balls you can't believe, then Selz does it again and hammers his cue on the table hard enough to break it. You never see that from him, he must be raging, and now trails 12-9. Meantime, Ronnie opens the table and I wonder if John's regretting taking on the shot he missed. On the one hand, it was there but, on the other, a decent safety and he doesn't offer an opportunity.

'A stroke of pure genius' - Higgins sinks stunning brown and opens up reds

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World Championship LIVE - Higgins 12-11 O'Sullivan (21-10)

There are reds available and the black passes to both corners, but a loose positional shot means one needing sent long to the yellow bag. It's horrible and Dom notes that he's playing for the black, so must be confident about potting it. Here he goes ... and you can see imediately, it's undercut, barely hitting the jaw! Even John can't be entirely impervious, but can Ronnie hold it down, playing for his future in this year's competition? I can barely type I'm so nervous, and I have no skin in this game.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 12-11 O'Sullivan (7-0)

A poor safety from John allows Ronnie a go at a starter, his hand on the table ... and he's not quite close enough. Chance for John to get it won, and what a man he is – when it's tight, no one is better.

World Championship LIVE - on table two

Mark Selby 9-11 Wu Yize

Wu leads 32-18 in frame 21 but we're enjoying a safety battle.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 12-11 O'Sullivan

A run of 88 and John needs one more; Ronnie must win the next two. Who'll handle the situation better?

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 11-11 O'Sullivan (51-0)

There's an assurance about John that Ronnie hasn't quite had today – the two frames he's won have taken everything he has, whereas The Wiz has been nicely controlled. He's going one up with two to play.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 11-11 O'Sullivan (23-0)

Goodness me, John deposits yet another long pot into the corner, soon breaks the pack, and though he's not on an easy one, if he can sort a hard one, the frame is there for him. But just how hard is it? He's got to get over some reds to poke a cut, from further away from the whiter than he'd like to be, and Dom doesn't like it at all. It takes him two minutes to find the correct implement and size it all up ... then he sees it away. He's played superbly so far today.

World Championship LIVE - on table two

Mark Selby 9-11 Wu Yize

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 11-11 O'Sullivan

A clearance of 118 means a best-of-three to decide the winner. Buckle up, mates.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 10-11 O'Sullivan (85-0)

John looks to be running out of position, so instead, he clatters home a brown, then comes off the side to break what remains of the pack. He's flowing, and will take some stopping.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 10-11 O'Sullivan (52-0)

It's not been an easy table yet it all looks so simple for John – just a matter of removing balls, which he's good at doing. We'll soon be level once more and this is on a rolling boil, exactly the epic swede for which we'd hoped.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 10-11 O'Sullivan (22-0)

Ronnie goes hard at an opener, it stops out, just, and John sinks one of his own before doing what he does. He won't have expected to win every frame today, so won't be fazed to have lost the last couple.

World Championship LIVE - on table two

Mark Selby 9-10 Wu Yize

But Mark needs three four-point snookers to tie.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 10-11 O'Sullivan

No ton, but this hugely impressive from Ronnie. He might well have faded – as we discussed, he's done exactly that in this competition the last two years – but two fantastic breaks under pressure have put him back ahead.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 10-10 O'Sullivan (4-78)

And it's his. Six lost, two won, and he's two away, a ton now likely and all.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 10-10 O'Sullivan (4-35)

This is another really considered run from Ronnie – not as difficult as the one he compiled in the last frame, but again, he's being forced to feed his genius with clarity of thought. Now, though, he's looking good for 11-10.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 10-10 O'Sullivan (4-14)

And it's Ronnie who gets to attempt it, a safety error from John allowing him a simple starter, and a double-kiss leaves him nicely on the pink. Are things going his way again? Meantime, Wu has just smoked home a glorious starter that should see him take an 11-9 lead into the final interval.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 10-10 O'Sullivan (4-0)

How often do we see this? Ronnie plays a fine safety shot that more or less forces John to take on a long starter from close to the bottom rail ... and he creams home a beauty! A green then follows, but there's no position on the next ball, meaning end of break. The tension here is something else and, with The Rocket having opened the pack, the next pot might settle the frame.

'Raised his game and then some' - Higgins makes back-to-back centuries to take lead

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'What a shot' - O'Sullivan pots pink to develop black and reds

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World Championship LIVE - Higgins 10-10 O'Sullivan

We go again...

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 10-10 O'Sullivan

...but soon breaks down. Ronnie wins his first frame in seven, and we go to the interval all square. I cannot wait to see what happens when we're back; meantime, scary hours for both men.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 10-9 O'Sullivan (8-62)

Ronnie runs out of position with John needing all the balls, reds with blacks, and a snooker ... then plays a terrible shot, leaving an opener...

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 10-9 O'Sullivan (7-55)

Ronnie gets right behind a plant which, if he can take it, will free the black. But he opts for a ball to middle instead then goes at it when he's got a bit of angle ... overrunning and losing position. So pink to center it is ... dispatched, and this is lovely work. He's had to fight so hard to keep the run going, knowing that, if he misses, the best clearer-upper ever, on a six-frame winning streak is there waiting. This is so enjoyable it feels illegal, especially on a Monday afternoon.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 10-9 O'Sullivan (7-13)

But a mistake from John allows Ronnie a starter, the crowd back involved as they cheer on their favorite, and a thin cut to middle won't harm his confidence. The big balls, though, are tied up and the pressure is intense – if The Rocket can't make something of this opportunity, I'd not be shocked if he loses 13-9 but, in the meantime, another good shot keeps him in business, nothing coming easily. This, my friends, is great stuff and exactly why we're here.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 10-9 O'Sullivan (7-0)

John considers a diagonal opener, decides it's a pretty risk-free shot ... and of course it's there. This is delightful stuff from the matchplayer supreme, but a positional error means he's now considering whether to swerve around the red blocking his route to the black ... and makes the sensible decision.

Higgins makes first century of tournament to draw level with O'Sullivan

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World Championship LIVE - on table two

Mark Selby 8-10 Wu Yize

Wu leads 43-1 but has just broken down when he shouldn't have done, and Selbz, who also missed badly in this frame, now has a chance to steal.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 10-9 O'Sullivan

Last evening, John was pinching frames; now he's dominating them. A run of 118 – he misses the final pink with a TC looking likely – takes him ahead and, if he wins the next he'll look and feel unstoppable. Ronnie must be wondering what's gone wrong, but this isn't the first time he's had this happen to him.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 9-9 O'Sullivan (74-0)

For the first time in the match, John is going in front ... and probably with another ton.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 9-9 O'Sullivan (52-0)

A tricky red, dead weight to right corner ... is there. If I may perform some amateur psychology, it occurs to me that John is a player Ronnie respects so much he can tolerate losing to him, and I wonder if that's a slightly undermining feeling. Other hand, I guess, he collapsed last year against Zhao and the one before against Luca Brecel, so maybe it's just difficult for him to maintain his level these days. Either way, he's in big trouble.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 9-9 O'Sullivan (14-0)

Ronnie's break dangles a starter and the way John's cueing, you expect him to get it. He doesn't, but a double-kiss makes the tidy-up harder ... and Ronnie's cut-back is caught too thinly. Chance for John!

World Championship LIVE - on table two

Mark Selby 7-10 Wu Yize

But Mark is at the table, frame 18 already his.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 8-9 O'Sullivan

A clearance of 118 and we're level! John Higgins is an absolute beast.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 8-9 O'Sullivan (93-7)

Is this a 179th Crucible ton for John? Only Ronnie has made more, and he's yet to register one this year.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 8-9 O'Sullivan (69-7)

There are few competitors as doughty as John – in any sport – and this is now five frames in a row. Ronnie needs to sort himself.

'We've seen those stay out' - Did new cloth help O'Sullivan pot red?

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World Championship LIVE - Higgins 8-9 O'Sullivan (54-7)

When John's in the balls like this there's rarely a sense he's going to falter – he doesn't play as many impossible shots as some others but, as Stephen Hendry likes to say, what costs you is the bad ones you miss, not the blinders you drain. He's not, though, finding this break easy, pausing plenty to think, and now comes a cut with the rest ... coaxed into the heart of the pocket. I'd be shocked if, from here, he didn't draw himself level.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 8-9 O'Sullivan (26-7)

Ronnie once led 9-4, but that tie is long gone. It's John with momentum and John who seems to be handling the pressure better.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 8-9 O'Sullivan (1-8)

Now it's John who misses a starter, and this time Ronnie gets in but, unable to get position off the blue, we again return to safety-play. Not for long: after missing a plant he ought to have bagged, The Rocket nails a restorative long pot, but again misses position, then directs a red into the far jaw of middle, the ball spinning on the lip but refusing to drop; it's another opportunity for The Wiz.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 8-9 O'Sullivan (0-0)

Ronnie goes hard at a longun, the kind of shot he was nailing in round one and earlier in this match ... but the ball stops out. He doesn't, though, leave anything, so it's time for some safety – played by two of its greatest exponents.

World Championship LIVE - on table two

Mark Selby 7-9 Wu Yize

Wu leads 49-15 in frame 17, but Selbz is at the table potting.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 8-9 O'Sullivan

Now then...

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 7-9 O'Sullivan (61-44)

Black disappears, then yellow, and Ronnie will be concerned. He did really well to keep his break going but then missed a ball he should've potted, and this could go either way now.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 7-9 O'Sullivan (54-44)

John quickly forges in front, but dead straight on the pink, needs to power through it to get on to that cushioned red. He leaves a tester ... and it's there, tickled in nicely. Black down to yellow, then colours off their spots for four in a row and a deficit of one...

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 7-9 O'Sullivan (17-44)

Oh, but a mid-range red to corner, a straight diag, is missed, and now the best teef in the business has a chance to do what he does. There's a red on the top rail – not far from the bag - and two by the pink, but you'd back John to do the necessary.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 7-9 O'Sullivan (16-44)

Just as Ronnie looks to be struggling, he drains a nasty brown, then attempts a plant to corner that's not dead set ... and it's there. He's now well placed to win a frame John really needs, but can he cut home a black with the rest? Again, just about, off the far jaw, and this is exactly what he needed.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins 7-9 O'Sullivan (16-13)

Our players have new cloth to enjoy – though, as Dom points out, he'd not be happy with it being changed mid-match. Anyroad up, John sinks a red and snuggles up the green, Ronnie missing with his escape thrice, hitting the pink on the second occasion. And when the hit comes, it leaves a starter ... except a missed pink to middle allows The Rocket in. This could be the settler he needs – though, as I type, he only just pots a red to corner, the fresh baize helping it wriggle in.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins v O'Sullivan

A rapturous Crucible welcome for our players and off we go.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins v O'Sullivan

But do not, under a single circumstance, sleep on Selbz v Wu. The former, of course, is a great of the game, but the latter will be one day and, in the meantime, is a creative force well able to see out his two-frame lead. I'll have it on and will be updating.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins v O'Sullivan

We're at that point, aren't we? Everywhere we look, we see colossal contests between legends and legends to be, and we've no clue who's going to win any of them.

Ronnie will feel he should be almost through but knows John can always john, and sure enough, he did. It does, though, remain the case that The Rocket is playing very nicely, and if he hits the level of the first session, it'll most likely be too good – for almost everyone.

Pressure, though, affects everyone – even the greatest of all time, and all the more so when he knows that, for the first time in a few years, he's practised hard enough and is playing well enough to win the thing. I can't wait to see how this one moves on, and nor can you.

Battling for a spot in the World Snooker Championship quarter-finals, legends of the game Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins continue their encounter.

In the afternoon session on Monday, April 27, O'Sullivan resumes with a 9-7 lead over the Scot, in a best-of-25.

This live blog covers frame-by-frame action from that match, with full scores across all matches available on the TNT Sports scores page.

Click here to refresh the page.

HBO Max is the streaming home of TNT Sports - watch the match below.

World Championship LIVE - Higgins v O'Sullivan

Hello and welcome to our live text coverage from Monday's afternoon session in Sheffield.

Frustrated O'Sullivan pegged back by Higgins

Across the match so far, O’Sullivan has twice opened up a five-frame cushion but hasn't been able fully shake the Scot.

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.

Full recap here.

How to watch and stream the World Championship

You can watch every day of the 2026 Halo World Snooker Championship live on TNT Sports.

It is available both live and on-demand on HBO Max.

For the latest information on which snooker events are on TNT Sports, click here.

Here is the TNT Sports schedule and TV guide.

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