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Ronnie O’Sullivan, who turns 50 in December, is one win away from another world final - Getty Images/Tai Chengzhe
Ronnie O’Sullivan and Zhao Xintong played out a captivating opening session in the first World Snooker Championship semi-final of 2025, with the duo as we were at four frames a piece.
The ‘Rocket’ began the match riddled with inconsistency and soon found himself trailing 2-0 to his Chinese opponent, with Xintong settling immediately with breaks of 60 and 62.
As the match developed, O’Sullivan dominated in the safety department, taking advantage of poor Xintong attempts, with an eye-catching 73 break levelling up proceedings at 2-2.
After the mid-session interval, Xintong continued to flag, with O’Sullivan’s break of 60 enough to take the lead for the first time in the contest.
The pendulum swung again though, with O’Sullivan’s concentration levels dipping in a topsy-turvy sixth frame. A stunning red to the top-left pocket rounded off a superb showing of resilience from Xintong heading in to the final two frames of the session.
The seven-time world champion managed to show his bounce-back ability too, with Xintong blinking by over-cutting a simple black. The ‘Rocket’ made no mistake in making him pay, with a break of 82 to edging him back in front.
But O’Sullivan’s troubles with his new cue plagued him again, with a sloppy effort allowing Xintong to ruthlessly register a break of 86. Comedy also was on show in Sheffield, as Xintong’s ferocious cue power managed to break the ball runner of the bottom-right pocket. A pink and a black in to the same pocket left balls cascading on The Crucible floor in an unprecedented event.
Finely poised at 4-4, the second session getting underway from 10am on Friday morning.
03:12 PM BST
The second session will get underway...
At 10am tomorrow morning. Stay tuned for our live blog then to see who can make early strides in to the World Snooker Championship final.
03:08 PM BST
Xintong hilariously breaks the pocket to level up the match (O’Sullivan 4 Xintong 4)
Xintong finds the angle on the black and positions the cue ball behind the final red in sensational style.
He rifles the resulting black in with so much cue power that he breaks the ball-runner... thank goodness it’s the final frame of the session to fix that.
Focused on not tripping over the remains of the pocket to grab his rest, Xintong powers the pink and black balls in to the broken pocket to leave them scattered around The Crucible floor.
I’ve never seen anything quite like that, but it perfectly ends what has been a fascinating opening session.
03:02 PM BST
O’Sullivan with another sloppy mistake to hand Xintong a chance (O’Sullivan 4 Xintong 3)
O’Sullivan cuts a red in to get to a break of 32 and opens a couple of other reds but misses a thin cut on the black.
Not for the first time, the ‘Rocket’ looks at his elbow, questioning his cue action for that error.
Xintong pots the loose reds and finds away to split the pack up, using the angle off his pot of the green.
The Chinese player will be buoyed if he can end this session level at 4-4.
02:57 PM BST
Final frame of the session underway... (O’Sullivan 4 Xintong 3)
O’Sullivan yet again profits off some poor Xintong safety play, with the Chinese player not finding the cushion enough in baulk.
He superbly pots a loose red and is in the driving seat again, this is such a good chance to take a 5-3 lead after the opening session.
02:54 PM BST
82-break puts O’Sullivan back in front (O’Sullivan 4 Xintong 3)
Despite some poor positional play early in to the break, O’Sullivan cuts a superb red in to the middle pocket.
He then screws off the black to force his way in to the pack and opens the table up superbly, that was vintage O’Sullivan.
Trying to force the final two reds off the right cushion, O’Sullivan misses what should be a simple black, but a break of 82 puts him back in front.
02:49 PM BST
Another poor O’Sullivan break opens the door but Xintong can’t take advantage (O’Sullivan 3 Xintong 3)
It’s another really poor break-off from O’Sullivan, hitting the blue full to leave the cue ball just half-way up the table.
Xintong rifles the opening red in but somehow over-cuts the black with the rest... sensational drama.
O’Sullivan gets another break underway but both players are riddled with errors at the moment.
02:45 PM BST
Xintong makes O’Sullivan pay to get back level (O’Sullivan 3 Xintong 3)
A brilliant pot on the black flicks a red out to the middle pocket and Xintong is finding his feet again.
50 ahead with 51 remaining, Xintong fires in a stunning red to the top-left pocket to win the frame, before playing a magnificent double on the subsequent red.
A miss on the black to the middle pocket follows but it doesn’t matter, with it now three frames apiece.
02:42 PM BST
Errors from both players in topsy-turvy frame (O’Sullivan 3 Xintong 2)
It’s an impressive break-off from Xintong, but O’Sullivan cuts in a thin red with breath-taking precision.
But he then misses a green inexplicably, with Xintong getting on the scoreboard himself with a solid long pot.
In to a 22 break though, a couple of careless shots see Xintong miss the blue and split the pack open, O’Sullivan rolls in a red and has yet another opening.
The ‘Rocket’ then misses a routine brown. It’s another really poor mistake, and the control passes back over to the Chinese player.
02:37 PM BST
O’Sullivan takes the lead for the first time (O’Sullivan 3 Xintong 2)
Xintong is waring after such a positive start, with O’Sullivan keeping his foot firmly on the accelerator.
It’s not been pristine positional play from the seven-time world champion, but a couple of magnificent shots makes up for it.
A break of 60 is enough despite a poor pot on the pink, with Xintong nodding his head to concede the frame.
It’s three frames on the spin for O’Sullivan, who is turning in to a dominant force in this contest.
02:33 PM BST
O’Sullivan in prime position to take lead (O’Sullivan 2 Xintong 2)
It’s been an awkward frame with just two reds potted in 11 minutes of action, but O’Sullivan is dominating his opponent in the safety department.
His superior play opens up another opportunity and O’Sullivan dispatches a red ruthlessly to create another chance.
He lands himself out of position on a pink off the spot but makes up for it with more superb cueing.
02:30 PM BST
O’Sullivan fails to take openings (O’Sullivan 2 Xintong 2)
A wild and aggressive miss from Xintong provides O’Sullivan with another difficult opener, but he superbly sinks the red in to the heart of the pocket despite the cue ball positioned next to the cushion.
But O’Sullivan then proceeds to miss a simple red, looking back at his right arm and blaming his cue action for the error.
The ‘Rocket’ misses a tough red to the middle pocket this time after another Xintong mistake. Both players haven’t settled since their return from the mid-session interval.
02:25 PM BST
O’Sullivan misses an early chance (O’Sullivan 2 Xintong 2)
O’Sullivan is still having issues with his new cue and tip, missing a thin cut on the opening red following an exquisite safety shot.
The safety battle goes on, and it’s another case of who will blink first.
02:22 PM BST
Players are back out... (O’Sullivan 2 Xintong 2)
The action is back underway, with O’Sullivan playing a much better break-off compared to the opening frame.
On BBC commentary duty, fellow seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry reveals Ronnie O’Sullivan and Zhao Xintong have taken 16 and 20 seconds per shot respectively... it’s hard to catch your breath.
02:10 PM BST
The early momentum could be tilting (O’Sullivan 2 Xintong 2)
It’s been such a fast-paced and enthralling encounter.
Zhao Xintong settled brilliantly to take a 2-0 lead after some O’Sullivan errors, but the ‘Rocket’ has found some extra gears to put the game all-square.
O’Sullivan can’t rest on his laurels, and must continue this momentum to build up an advantage.
02:04 PM BST
O’Sullivan finding his rhythm and levels up proceedings (O’Sullivan 2 Xintong 2)
A thin kiss on the pack opens up the remaining reds and O’Sullivan is in the groove. The potting looks so effortless.
A 73-break levels up the match, but a miss on the black denies adding to his 1,289 career centuries.
It’s bubbling up nicely as we take a short break for the mid-session interval.
01:59 PM BST
O’Sullivan in the driving seat to level up match (O’Sullivan 1 Xintong 2)
Final frame before the mid-session interval, and both O’Sullivan and Xintong exchange safeties as each player aims to get in to the driving seat of the fourth frame.
Xintong over-cuts a red to the middle pocket after an original O’Sullivan miss and the ‘Rocket’ pots the opening red before potting the green off the spot.
Can O’Sullivan take his chance and level up the match?
01:54 PM BST
Xintong blinks first as O’Sullivan gets on the board (O’Sullivan 1 Xintong 2)
Xintong makes the first error of the safety battle and O’Sullivan takes his chance with aplom, rattling a long red in to start off his break with ferocious cue power.
A couple of impressive cuts keeps the break alive, while a fabulous double to the bottom-right pocket delights The Crucible crowd.
He could have so easily been 3-0 down, but the ‘Rocket’ halves the deficit.
01:49 PM BST
Xintong and O’Sullivan exchange brilliant safety play (O’Sullivan 0 Xintong 2)
A sloppy shot brings an end to Xintong’s break of 24, but he plays a sublime safety in baulk behind the blue.
It’s a safety battle as O’Sullivan uses a similar angle to get behind the blue himself.
From Xintong’s effort, O’Sullivan roles the cue ball behind the black down the opposite end of the table.
It’s an intriguing battle as Xintong takes two attempts to get out of that snooker.
01:44 PM BST
O’Sullivan’s consistency alludes him (O’Sullivan 0 Xintong 2)
Xintong catches the red on a safety shot far too thin to leave an early chance for O’Sullivan.
The seven-time world champion forces the red in with lots of top spin but misses the following blue with the rest.
The reds are situated nicely here, and Xintong has another golden chance to build up his lead.
01:41 PM BST
O’Sullivan feeling the tension (O’Sullivan 0 Xintong 2)
Despite a solid break-off, O’Sullivan fails to capitalise on a missed pot from Xintong, rattling the jaws of the middle pocket.
Both players have started in very different ways, and O’Sullivan needs to get his cue action firing very quickly.
01:38 PM BST
O’Sullivan concedes frame after 62 Xintong break (O’Sullivan 0 Xintong 2)
Zhao Xintong doubles his lead in the early stages, cutting a gorgeous red into the top-left pocket to seal the frame.
A miss on the black follows, but O’Sullivan stays in his chair, the mistakes he’s making are getting punished ruthlessly.
01:35 PM BST
Another fabulous Xintong split could double advantage (O’Sullivan 0 Xintong 1)
Xintong gets his eye in again, producing another superb split on the pack of reds to open the table up.
A very thin cut on the black gets the break up to 47, and the Chinese player looks set to take a 2-0 lead.
01:31 PM BST
Sensational O’Sullivan cueing but more errors follow (O’Sullivan 0 Xintong 1)
Xintong plays a poor safety, hitting the red far too thick, leaving the cue ball next to the green.
O’Sullivan proceeds to play a fabulous long pot on a loose red... now that was a brilliant piece of cueing.
Into his break of 12, O’Sullivan misses a wayward red with the rest, but a huge slice of luck as he appears to not have left a red on.
Xintong tries a very thin cut on one of the three loose reds, but leaves the ball over the pocket.
The ‘Rocket’ pots the red, but over-cuts the black, another mistake to let Xintong in.
01:25 PM BST
Zhao Xintong strikes first (O’Sullivan 0 Xintong 1)
A sensational cut from Xintong puts the frame beyond doubt. A miss on the yellow leaves only a break of 18, but the earlier 60 break did the damage.
An assured start from the Chinese player, who has punished some sloppy O’Sullivan errors.
01:22 PM BST
O’Sullivan requires a snooker (O’Sullivan 0 Xintong 0)
O’Sullivan plays a beautiful plant but loses position, so a safety behind the yellow is the only option.
Xintong makes an error from the resulting effort, but again O’Sullivan can’t get on to a colour after a convincing pot.
From this, O’Sullivan now needs a snooker to get back in to the opening frame.
01:18 PM BST
Sloppy Xintong effort derails frame-winning chance (O’Sullivan 0 Xintong 0)
A break of 46 from Xintong as he pots the last remaining red before having to go in to the pack.
He plays a sensational shot to open up the remaining reds. but he’s under-hit the pink for an end of break.
O’Sullivan is still under the cosh here, as another mistake could be costly.
01:13 PM BST
O’Sullivan poor break-off offers early Xintong opportunity (O’Sullivan 0 Xintong 0)
Just like he did against Si Jiahui, O’Sullivan sees the cue ball drop in after a poor break-off.
Zhao Xintong pots a sensational long red, followed by the blue. The 28-year-old has settled from the start here.
01:11 PM BST
Let’s play...
The anticipation is building as the first frame gets underway.
They both smile and shake hands, O’Sullivan to break.
01:10 PM BST
Rob Walker introduces the players...
Rob Walker takes control to introduce O’Sullivan and Xintong.
Both players receive rousing receptions inside The Crucible.
As expected though, the ‘Rocket’ does get the louder of the cheers.
01:04 PM BST
Almost ready to get underway...
Don’t forget it’s the first showcase of the one table setup, with construction going on through the night to make it possible.
We’re not far away from getting the first semi-final underway between Ronnie O’Sullivan and Zhao Xintong, as Seema Jaswal, Shaun Murphy and John Parrott preview the upcoming order of play.
12:54 PM BST
WATCH: Ronnie remains riddled with self doubt
12:52 PM BST
WATCH: O’Sullivan’s sensational pot against Si Jiahui
12:33 PM BST
Ronnie resumes history bid
Hello and welcome to our coverage of the first session of Ronnie O’Sullivan’s World Championship semi-final against Zhao Xintong.
O’Sullivan, of course, is chasing history again at the Crucible, bidding to add an eighth world title to his collection that would see him break a tie with Stephen Hendry for most triumphs at the tournament.
Last night Ronnie, still struggling with the new cue we have heard so much about, battled through bouts of wayward potting to see off Si Jiahui, 13-9. As he acknowledged in his post-match interview, the Rocket was heavily indebted to his opponent’s sloppiness, with the young Chinese player badly let down by loose cue-ball control and lapses in concentration.
“He played poor and let me off the hook,” O’Sullivan admitted afterwards. “I got lucky again. I have tried to give it my best and I am just hanging in there. I have relied on other people to win and that doesn’t feel good for me.”
So a familiarly angst-ridden Ronnie takes to the table today against an opponent who has looked anything but uneasy – baby-faced Chinese qualifier Zhao, who cruised past Chris Wakelin in the quarter-finals, 13-5.
“I didn’t set any high expectations for myself coming into this. Now I’ve come this far, I do think there’s a chance I can go even further. I feel like there’s even more potential in me, and I hope I can perform even better from now on,” said Zhao after his victory.
“When I was a kid, watching snooker on TV and seeing the semis and final here, it was such a powerful image. And now that I’m standing there myself, I feel really happy. Of course, I still hope I can go one step further and win the semi-final, maybe even challenge for the title.”
Zhao returned to the tour late last year as an amateur after serving a 20-month suspension for his part in a match-fixing scandal. The 28-year-old is looking to make some Crucible history himself by becoming Asia’s first world champion. Despite his amateur status, he boasts considerable pedigree, having already tasted major success by winning the 2021 UK Championship, when he beat Luca Brecel in the final.
Brecel’s World Championship campaign was ended yesterday by Judd Trump, the 2019 champion who will next face three-time winner Mark Williams in the other semi-final. Williams was a quarter-final victory over John Higgins.
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