Ronnie O’Sullivan takes control of John Higgins match with flashes of brilliance

Welcome to live coverage of the snooker World Championship from The Telegraph as Ronnie O’Sullivan takes on John Higgins in the second round.

The pair meet in the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield as they meet for the first time in over two years.

The match-up saw O’Sullivan a 4-0 winner against the Scottish former world No. 1 at the World Masters, but this best-of-25 is not so likely to be as one-sided.

Both are now veterans of the sport, amongst a handful of players who have won each of the Triple Crown events.

At 50, O’Sullivan is back in contention for his eighth world championship. With seven under his belt in his career so far, he currently shares the record of seven with former foe Stephen Hendry, though the pair now have a far warmer relationship.

Higgins and O’Sullivan have a competitive rivalry going back to October 1994, when Higgins secured his own whitewash, a 5-0 win at the Grand Prix.

O’Sullivan has been missing from several high profile fixtures over the last season, preferring to focus on events in Saudi Arabia and China. His appearances in Britain have been limited partly due to what he says is a declining interest in the sport, and also due to his new life in Dubai.

His last ranking title came in 2024 at the World Grand Prix, but earlier this month he defeated Higgins 6-0 at the John Virgo Trophy, an invitational event held in Ireland.

His opponent, meanwhile, won the World Open and Tour Championship last year, and was a beaten finalist in this year’s Masters when he lost 10-6 to Kyren Wilson.

For the victor, a match against the winner of Chris Wakelin vs Neil Robertson awaits in the quarter-finals.