Higgins stuns O'Sullivan comeback, Trump exits in World Championship shock

John Higgins turned a lost position into one of the Crucible’s defining recoveries, clawing back from 8-3 and 9-4 down to beat Ronnie O’Sullivan 13-12 and reach the World Championship quarter-finals for the 20th time. The 50-year-old answered pressure with three centuries in the closing session, making breaks of 118, 128 and 111 to complete what has been described as arguably his best ever Crucible comeback.

For O’Sullivan, the defeat ended another push for a record-breaking eighth world title. He had led 6-2, 8-3 and 9-4 before the match swung decisively, and he lost six consecutive frames at the Crucible for only the fifth time. It was also Higgins’ first win over O’Sullivan since 2021, and his fourth victory in seven World Championship meetings with his old rival at the venue.

The result underlined how much history still matters on snooker’s biggest stage. Higgins and O’Sullivan are two of the sport’s fabled Class of ’92, with Mark Williams completing the trio, and between them they have collected 14 world titles. Higgins, though, showed the sharpest match temperament of the day, refusing to yield as the match tightened frame by frame in front of the Sheffield crowd.

The same afternoon delivered another major jolt when world number one Judd Trump lost 13-12 to Iranian qualifier Hossein Vafaei. Vafaei, who called it the biggest win of his career, survived the final-frame tension to move into a quarter-final against Wu Yize. Trump had been chasing a second world crown, but his exit added to a draw that had already been turned upside down by the time Higgins finished his fightback.

Wu Yize also beat Mark Selby 13-11 on the same day, keeping the quarter-final line-up packed with surprises. Higgins was set to meet either Neil Robertson or Chris Wakelin, with the tournament now moving deeper into its decisive stages.

The 2026 World Snooker Championship is being staged at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield from April 18 to May 4, marking the venue’s 50th edition since it first hosted the event in 1977. The prize fund totals £2,395,000, with £500,000 for the champion and £200,000 for the runner-up.