Higgins Stuns O’Sullivan to Trail 9-7 as Zhao Xintong Beats Ding Junhui at World Snooker Championship

Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins played an enthralling second session of their World Snooker Championship second-round match at the Crucible on Sunday night, with Higgins winning the last three frames to trail 9-7.

O’Sullivan had twice led by five frames and appeared set to cruise into the quarter-finals before Higgins fought back using his experience to finish the session just two frames behind.

A pivotal final frame of the session proved too much for O’Sullivan, who gave the cushion a painful rap with his knuckles after missing an early red, before Higgins edged over the line to finish much the happier of the two players.

Higgins never got going in the early stages but clawed out frame 14 despite fluffing an attempted escape from a snooker and never looked back. He reeled in a 55-point deficit in the next frame, then held his nerve in an edgy last frame of the night in which both players went in-off at crucial moments.

Zhao Xintong advances to quarter-finals

Earlier in the day, defending champion Zhao Xintong moved closer to cracking the so-called “Crucible Curse” as he booked his quarter-final place, wrapping up a hard-fought 13-9 win over compatriot Ding Junhui.

2025 Championship context

The 2025 World Snooker Championship was won by Zhao Xintong, who defeated Mark Williams 18–12 in the final to claim the title at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. Zhao Xintong is therefore the defending champion entering the 2026 tournament.

The 2025 event took place from 19 April to 5 May 2025 at the Crucible Theatre, with a total prize fund of £2,395,000 and the winner’s share of £500,000. The highest break was made by Mark Allen and Jackson Page, who each compiled a 147 break.