Ronnie O'Sullivan makes bizarre Crucible walk-on gaffe before World Championship first-session masterclass against He Guoqiang

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Ronnie O'Sullivan may be playing at his 34th Halo World Snooker Championship, but even The Rocket is susceptible to a blunder at the Crucible from time to time.

Watch the amusing moment O'Sullivan walks to wrong table in rare Crucible mistep

Video credit: TNT Sports

Emerging for his first-round match against debutant He Guoqiang, O'Sullivan was caught in an embarrassing moment of hesitation before eventually composing himself.

The 50-year-old, bidding for a record-breaking eighth world title, turned to take one of the seats occupied by Wu Yize and Lei Peifan ahead of his match, broadcast live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.

And the mix-up led to amusement in the commentary box, with TNT Sports' Dave Hendon allowing himself a chuckle at The Rocket's confusion.

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"Well, the set-up has changed over the years, as Ronnie O'Sullivan tries to go to the other table," said Hendon.

"But the walk is familiar for O'Sullivan, as he finds his way to the right table to take on He Guoqiang.

"It's his 34th year in a row at the Crucible. This is his 108th match. All the numbers, all the stats, of course, favour him. He's up against a debutant, so let's see how He Guoqiang gets on here as the wall comes down for another afternoon of snooker."

And it was a statement performance from O'Sullivan in Monday afternoon's early action, racing into a dominant 4-0 lead before the mid-session interval.

O'Sullivan 'thunders' in long red with masterful cueing

Video credit: TNT Sports

Breaks of 72 and 97 kept He more or less rooted to his chair, though the Chinese cueist looked certain to take the third frame before a costly error allowed his opponent to steal.

The former U18 world champion committed a blatant push shot on the green, a foul that was swiftly punished by O'Sullivan in full flow.

Drama as phone rings, He commits push shot and O'Sullivan clears brilliantly

Video credit: TNT Sports

"He [O'Sullivan] didn't miss all that much, though, did he? I thought he looked pretty good for the most part. I think the way he attacked the ball was very good," reflected TNT Sports co-commentator Neal Foulds.

"Lots of balls thundered into the back of the pocket. He wasn't rolling shots. He was hitting the balls with pace and authority. So far, for O'Sullivan fans, so good."

Hendon added: "Ronnie O'Sullivan has been enjoying it more than He Guoqiang, needless to say, because it's 4-0 and every inch of 4-0. There was just one close frame, frame three, and that was He Guoqiang's chance to get on the scoreboard.

"But losing that seemed to deflate him a little, and O'Sullivan made his first century of the match."

The Rocket's classy break of 113 wrapped up the first mini-session with aplomb, and he came out after the interval in much the same mood, stealing the fifth by 67-59 to go halfway to a mouth-watering last-16 match-up with John Higgins.

However, He won the sixth frame to avoid a whitewash.

You can watch every day of the 2026 World Snooker Championship live on TNT Sports. It is available both live and on-demand on HBO Max.

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