O'Sullivan leads Higgins 6-2 as Williams exits World Championship

Ronnie O'Sullivan tightened his grip on another Crucible campaign by opening up a 6-2 lead over John Higgins, turning the first session of their World Championship last-16 clash into another statement about longevity at snooker’s biggest stage.

At the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, O'Sullivan produced breaks of 86, 82 and a superb 137 as he pulled clear of Higgins in a contest that carried the weight of their shared history. The two veterans met on snooker’s grandest stage for the seventh time, and the head-to-head at the Crucible remained level at 3-3 after O'Sullivan’s strong start.

The seven-time world champion is now chasing an eighth world title, a target that would take him deeper into the game’s record books and further strengthen his standing against the other enduring giants of the sport. On this evidence, he looked every bit the player still capable of bending the tournament to his will, moving closer to a quarter-final place after dominating much of the opening session.

The timing mattered as much as the scoreline. O'Sullivan and Higgins have spent years defining elite snooker through their consistency, and their latest meeting again framed the World Snooker Championship as a test not just of form, but of staying power. O'Sullivan’s scoring bursts gave him control, while Higgins was left trying to halt the momentum before the match resumed over three days.

The wider draw underlined the same theme. Mark Williams, the other member of snooker’s famed Class of 92, exited after Barry Hawkins completed a 13-9 victory. Hawkins had begun the final session 10-6 ahead and protected that cushion to finish the job, leaving O'Sullivan and Higgins as the two remaining standard-bearers from that generation still in contention.

Williams’ elimination sharpened the focus on O'Sullivan’s route. With one half of the Class of 92 already gone, another deep run from the sport’s most decorated player would do more than advance him toward a quarter-final. It would strengthen the argument that, even in a championship built on pressure and renewal, experience still has the power to dominate at the Crucible.