Snooker World Championship: Ronnie O'Sullivan dismantles Chinese 1st round opponent in just 35 minutes to secure 2nd round El Clasico

When the World Snooker Championship rolls around the corner each April, one man always commands more attention than anyone else - Ronnie O'Sullivan. "The Rocket" is our beloved sports' only premium superstar, and his star status is matched by the accolades. Only Stephen Hendry can claim to boast a similar World title tally of 7.

The journey towards number 8 started in 2026 with a first round clash against Chinese challenger He Guoqiang. Calling this match a challenge for Ronnie is a bit of a stretch though, as the Englishman stormed to a 7-2 lead in the first session.

The second session got even worse for the Chinese youngster. "The Rocket" must have had places to be later in the evening, as he took all three frames in a mesmerizing 35 minute display of class. 2. round secured, and on to a few days of rest.

However, keeping himself on form might be needed, as his 2nd round opponent is none other than John Higgins. The duo's meetings at the Crucible have been dubbed the "El Clasico" of snooker, with the head-to-head scoring an even 3-3 before this year's competition.

Most memorable among their World Championship meetings are Ronnie's 13-12 victory in their first game against each other in the 1996 quarterfinal, along with of course the 2001 final clash, where O'Sullivan came out on top 18-14. The last match between the two titans was in 2022, where Ronnie took a 17-11 victory en route to his most recent title.

- I still feel a bit rusty, I haven't played the top players regularly for a while. It's hard to say what my chances are here. I first played against John when I was 14-years old, so I hope it'll be a great occasion again, "The Rocket" told WST after his victory over He.

- I'd sort of had enough at the start of March, I couldn't even be bothered to play tournaments. Now I've tried to recoach myself a bit with a more relaxed attitude, at first I was doing 6-7 hour sessions with no results. Now my timings are coming back, and I'm excited to play again, Ronnie added.

As a cherry on top, Ronnie took his century count at the Crucible up to 217. Enjoy two back-to-back centuries from today's session to close out the game from the video below.



Below are all the scores and results + the schedule for the 1st round at the Snooker World Championship 2026.






Source: WST