World Snooker Championship: Ronnie O’Sullivan & Luca Brecel race through to quarter-finals

Ronnie O’Sullivan and Luca Brecel both took under 17 minutes to secure the one frame they required to clinch victories and move into the World Championship quarter-finals.

The pair started the evening session 12-4 ahead against Chinese pair Pang Junxu and Ding Junhui respectively.

Brecel, the 2023 winner, was first through with a break of 71 as he took the 17th frame 76-0 to win 13-4 and eliminate 2016 runner-up Ding.

Shortly afterwards, O’Sullivan, 49, on course for a record-breaking eighth Crucible success, won by the same scoreline. He completed a break of 95 after Pang scored the first 17 points of the frame to join Brecel in the last eight.

Belgium’s Brecel will now meet 2019 champion Judd Trump in the quarter-finals, while O’Sullivan will play China’s Si Jiahui, a world semi-finalist two years ago.

O’Sullivan has now reached the last eight at the Crucible on 23 occasions, to extend the record he already held.