SHEFFIELD, England – The Crucible Theatre hummed with tension on May 1 as Ronnie O’Sullivan, the seven-time world champion, locked horns with Zhao Xintong in a World Snooker Championship semi-final that’s already shaping up as a classic. After the first session, the score sits dead even at 4-4, a fitting start for a clash between snooker’s grizzled legend and a Chinese prodigy chasing history.
O’Sullivan, 49, rolled into his record-extending 14th Crucible semi-final fresh off a 13-9 quarter-final win over Si Jiahui. He’s hunting an unprecedented eighth world title, a feat that would snap his tie with Stephen Hendry. But Zhao, 28, isn’t here to play the underdog. Competing as an amateur after a 20-month ban for his role in a match-fixing scandal, he’s blazed through the tournament, crushing Chris Wakelin 13-5 in the quarters. Zhao’s the third player from Mainland China to reach this stage, following Ding Junhui and Si Jiahui, and he’s got his eyes on becoming the first Chinese world champion.
The session kicked off with Zhao drawing first blood. O’Sullivan flubbed the break-off, going in-off, and Zhao pounced with a crisp 60 break to snatch the opening frame. He didn’t let up, capitalizing on a missed black by O’Sullivan to fire in a 62 break and surge to a 2-0 lead. The Crucible crowd, usually a roaring sea of O’Sullivan loyalists, fell quiet, sensing an upset brewing.
But O’Sullivan, ever the street fighter, clawed back. He answered with a 73 break to level the score at 2-2 by the mid-session interval, his cue finally finding some rhythm. The next frames were a tug-of-war, with Zhao knotting things at 3-3 before O’Sullivan edged ahead 4-3 with an 82 break that had the crowd buzzing. Zhao, unfazed, capped the session with an 86 break, cool as ice, to pull even at 4-4. It was snooker at its sharpest—fast, precise, and unrelenting.
Zhao’s journey to this moment hasn’t been smooth. After his suspension, which ended in September 2024, he fought through four grueling qualifying rounds to reach the Crucible’s main draw. Since his return, he’s won 45 of 47 matches, a staggering run that’s turned heads. O’Sullivan, meanwhile, admitted to struggling with a new cue and shaky form, even calling his quarter-final performance “awful.” Yet here he is, still standing, still dangerous.
The semi-final, a best-of-33-frame marathon, continues on May 2 with two sessions, and a final nine frames set for May 3. The winner will face either Judd Trump or Mark Williams in the final, scheduled for May 4 and 5. The championship carries a £500,000 prize for the victor, with a total purse of £2,395,000. Desislava Bozhilova will referee the final, only the second woman to do so after Michaela Tabb in 2009 and 2012.
As the players left the table, the Crucible buzzed with chatter. Eight frames down, 25 to go. It’s anyone’s game.