Ronnie O’Sullivan began his quest for a record-breaking eighth World Championship title with a dominant opening session against Chinese debutant He Guoqiang.
O’Sullivan, 50, took the first five frames and holds a 7-2 advantage, needing only three frames for victory when the match resumes on Wednesday (14:30 BST).
He pulled out of the Masters in January and has only played in three of six ranking events in 2026, reaching the final of the World Open in China last month.
During that tournament he made a break of 153, the highest ever recorded in professional snooker.
O’Sullivan was playing at the Crucible for a 34th season and instantly took control as breaks of 72, 97 and 113 helped him into a 5-0 lead, with 25-year-old He, the world number 47, already looking defeated.
He did manage to win two frames in a row, but O’Sullivan claimed the last two frames of the session, helped by breaks of 52 and 86.
O’Sullivan will be looking to quickly wrap up the match on Wednesday and a victory would set up a thrilling last-16 tie against four-time world champion John Higgins.
Trump recovers from 4-1 down to lead Wilson
World number one Judd Trump recovered from a slow start to take a narrow lead over Gary Wilson in their first-round match.
Trump, the 2019 champion, lost four of the first five frames as Wilson, ranked 27th, moved into a 4-1 lead.
But Trump then claimed the final four frames of the session, including superb breaks of 128 and 77, to hold a 5-4 advantage before the match restarts (19:00 BST).
“The last couple of frames have been the best I’ve seen from Judd for a long time,” said seven-time champion Stephen Hendry on BBC TV commentary.
Trump, 36, has been top of the world rankings since August 2024 and will extend that run if he reaches at least the last 16.
But he did not have it all his own way with Wilson, a three-time ranking event winner, making the highest break of the session with a superb 139 clearance in frame five.
Pullen, 20, impresses on Crucible debut
Liam Pullen dropped off the World Snooker Tour at the end of last season, only to regain his tour card weeks later at Q School.
The 20-year-old from York is ranked 86th in the world and had to battle through four qualifying rounds to make his Crucible debut.
Before the tournament started, he spoke of how, aged 12, he had watched the 2018 final between Mark Williams and Higgins and was left “starstruck” by a chance encounter with the Scot in a Pizza Express.
But if he was feeling any nerves, Pullen did not show it as he made breaks of 57, 63, 97 and 58, although he still finds himself 4-5 behind against fellow Englishman Chris Wakelin, a quarter-finalist last year.
Wakelin, helped by breaks of 66 and 82, holds a one-frame advantage with the match set to be played to a finish on Wednesday from 10:00.
But Pullen can be pleased with how he performed and it was another bright spot for young English players after 19-year-old Stan Moody gave 2024 champion Kyren Wilson a real scare before losing 10-7 on Monday.
- Watch: World Snooker Championship – Trump level with Wilson; Wakelin leads Pullen
- ‘Odds-on’ – Hearn tips 2029 Worlds to stay in UK
- O’Sullivan to play China’s He in Crucible round one
