Ronnie O’Sullivan moved within touching distance of a record 23rd World Snooker Championship quarter-final appearance after dominating Pang Junxu during their second session at the Crucible. Turning a 6-2 overnight lead into a commanding 12-4 advantage, O’Sullivan now needs just one frame on Monday evening to book his place in the last eight.
Despite playing in his first tournament since January and occasionally appearing frustrated with his form, the seven-time world champion still produced consecutive century breaks to leave his 25-year-old opponent with little hope.
Pang briefly showed signs of a comeback by winning the first two frames of the session, reminiscent of his first-round rally in 2023 when he battled back from 9-4 down to win three straight frames. However, a series of costly mistakes prevented any real momentum, and O’Sullivan responded with two half-centuries to lead 8-4 at the interval. Pang’s struggles continued, failing to score in the next two frames as O’Sullivan compiled back-to-back centuries and then extended his dominance, making Monday’s final session a mere formality.
Elsewhere, Judd Trump notched his 100th century break of the season earning a £100,000 bonus from the World Snooker Tour as he built a 10-6 lead over Shaun Murphy. Trump had led 5-3 after a first session marred only by a missed yellow on 98 that delayed his milestone.
The second session saw a nervy opening frame before big breaks took center stage, with Trump narrowly missing another century at 97 in frame 12 before posting a 106 and later a 132, the latter bringing a rare mid-frame standing ovation. Trump joins Neil Robertson, who made 103 centuries in the 2013–14 season, as only the second player to reach a century of centuries.
Monday evening’s audience may not get a lengthy show, as defending champion Luca Brecel also returns needing just one frame to finish off a dominant win over Ding Junhui. After Ding opened with a 141 break on Saturday, Brecel responded by winning 11 straight frames. Although Ding fought back with back-to-back centuries to trail 12-4, Brecel will only need a brief appearance to wrap up the match.
Meanwhile, Zhao Xintong reached the World Championship quarter-finals for the first time, securing a 13-10 win over fellow Chinese player Lei Peifan. In another ongoing match, Si Jiahui leads Ben Woollaston 9-7 heading into their next session.
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