Sports21 April, 20267 min read
Ronnie O'Sullivan Dominates He Guoqiang in World Snooker Championship First Round at Crucible
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
O'Sullivan leads He Guoqiang 7-2 after the opening session. He Guoqiang is a Chinese debutant at the World Championship.
O’Sullivan’s commanding start
Ronnie O’Sullivan began his quest for a record-breaking eighth World Championship title with a dominant opening session against Chinese debutant He Guoqiang at the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible. The BBC reported that O’Sullivan, 50, took the first five frames and held a 7-2 advantage, needing only three frames for victory when the match resumes on Wednesday (14:30 BST). The Guardian described O’Sullivan’s start as including “a rare Crucible misstep,” but said he still emerged with a 7-2 lead after the opening session of his first-round match against He Guoqiang.
The Guardian added that O’Sullivan was heading out for his 34th consecutive appearance in the event and that the 50-year-old “accidentally headed towards the wrong table” before being steered by the referee, Rob Spencer. GB News similarly said O’Sullivan made an “embarrassing blunder” entering the Crucible, stepping forward for his match and heading straight to table two instead of the table he was meant to use.
In the BBC’s account, O’Sullivan’s control was built on breaks of 72, 97 and 113 as he moved into a 5-0 lead, with He, the world number 47, “already looking defeated.” The BBC also reported that O’Sullivan claimed the last two frames of the session, helped by breaks of 52 and 86, and that a victory would set up a last-16 tie against four-time world champion John Higgins.
Murphy’s comeback and the taunt
Shaun Murphy’s first-round match against China’s Fan Zhengyi delivered a different kind of drama, with Murphy clawing back a deficit to win 10-9.
The BBC said Murphy won 10-9 in a “thrilling late-night finish” to their first-round tie, with the match finishing at 23:46 BST in front of a packed and enthralled crowd at the Sheffield theatre.
The BBC reported that Murphy, the 2005 champion, trailed 53-17 in the deciding frame, but Fan, 25-year-old Fan, missed a tough red into the middle pocket and Murphy “held his nerve to gain the victory.”
The Guardian described the same deciding-frame comeback as Murphy clawing back a “36-point deficit” to secure the nail-biting 10-9 win over the Chinese qualifier Fan Zhengyi.
In the Guardian’s telling, Murphy had earlier taken to social media to lambast an audience member who berated one of his shots during the pair’s opening session on Monday.
The Guardian quoted Murphy’s Instagram message: “Just a friendly reminder that if you’re sat on the front row in the Crucible and I play a shot that may not work for a particular reason, it’s probably best not to say ‘s*** shot’ out loud. I’ve got ears.”
The Independent echoed the same incident and quoted Murphy again on Instagram, adding that Murphy said he lost concentration after a spectator in the front row muttered “s*** shot” during the gruelling battle.
The Independent also reported Murphy’s joke about the moment, saying: “I missed my last shot as I was contemplating which end (of) my cue to hit him with.”
Trump’s recovery over Wilson
Judd Trump’s first-round match against Gary Wilson also swung sharply, with Trump recovering from a slow start to win 10-5. The BBC reported that world number one Judd Trump fought back from 4-1 behind to beat Gary Wilson 10-5, and it described how Trump then claimed the final four frames of the session. The BBC said Wilson, ranked 27th, made the highest break of the session with a “superb 139 clearance in frame five,” after Trump had lost four of the first five frames.
The Guardian similarly described Trump’s match as he sealed his place in the second round with a 10-5 win over Gary Wilson, while noting that Trump had been “somewhat overlooked” in the buildup. The Independent provided additional detail, stating that Trump hauled back an early 3-1 deficit to nudge 5-4 in front of Gary Wilson, and it highlighted Wilson’s “superb break of 139” as he moved into a commanding lead. The Independent then said Trump responded with breaks of 128 and 77 as he looked to go deep in the tournament and protect his current status as world number one.
The BBC also reported that Trump, 36, had been top of the world, and it framed the match as part of the tournament’s early first-round schedule. Across the accounts, the decisive pattern was Trump’s ability to win multiple frames in succession after falling behind, with the BBC describing him winning “five in a row” to seal the 10-5 success.
Media day absences and pundit reactions
Beyond the on-table action, the tournament’s early narrative included attention on media day absences and reactions from other players.
The BBC noted that O’Sullivan “pulled out of the Masters in January” and that he had “only played in three of six ranking events in 2026,” reaching the final of the World Open in China last month, where he made a break of 153.
In contrast, GB News focused on O’Sullivan’s presence at the Crucible and said he was “unable to reach an agreement on fees with the BBC” to feature in their World Snooker Championship coverage, quoting Murphy’s situation as part of the broader broadcast discussion.
GB News also reported that O’Sullivan and world number one Judd Trump were absent from the Crucible photoshoot on Friday, and it said former world champion Shaun Murphy criticised both O’Sullivan and Trump for their absence from the event.
When asked whether the no-shows could damage the image of snooker, Murphy responded, “I don't know about image problem. I think it might give those two a particular image problem. I think it might affect their image slightly.”
GB News continued with Murphy’s remarks that “Once the public tag onto that themselves and realise that two of the biggest stars of the game weren't here for opening day, when everyone else has made the effort to be here... listen, it's a strange one.”
The Mirror added a separate but related broadcast dispute, saying Murphy was unable to reach an agreement on fees with the BBC to feature in their World Snooker Championship coverage and quoting Murphy: “We were in negotiations with the powers-that-be and we couldn't come to an agreement on terms.”
The Mirror also stated that Murphy would not be joining Stephen Hendry, Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor in the BBC studios this year.
Meanwhile, the BBC included direct pundit praise for O’Sullivan’s performance, quoting Ken Doherty saying: “This has really been a masterclass from Ronnie O'Sullivan,” and quoting Stephen Hendry saying: “Ronnie O'Sullivan makes it looks easy but it's bread and butter stuff for him.”
Tables, conditions, and next matches
As the World Snooker Championship moved through its first-round schedule, the sources also highlighted concerns about table conditions and the shape of the next round. The Mirror reported that Barry Hawkins voiced frustration about the tables at the Crucible, claiming the surface plays “like a ping-pong table,” and it quoted Hawkins saying: “I don't like slating the conditions off because the fitters do a great job.” Hawkins added that “the cushions, for day one, they're just coming off so much quicker than they're going on,” and he described how “It's obviously hard to control the cue ball then, you lose cue ball a bit more often.”
In response, the World Snooker Tour said: “There are always challenges in providing the best possible conditions for players as there are many factors which affect this,” and it added that “Our dedicated team of table fitters work tirelessly in delivering the best possible conditions and they are constantly monitoring the tables.” The Mirror also said the WST has “systems in place where players can give feedback after every match.” The Mirror further reported that Mark Allen praised Stan Moody, saying: “I've said it before, I think Stan's a really good kid,” and it described Allen’s view that “World Snooker did him any favours really for a few years, just how much they were promoting him and putting pressure on him.”
The Mirror stated that Allen is set to face Wilson in the second round after the 2024 champion overcame Moody 10-7 on Monday evening, and it also said Kyren Wilson, John Higgins, Ding Junhui and Mark Allen progressed to the second round. The BBC, meanwhile, looked ahead from O’Sullivan’s match, saying O’Sullivan will be looking to quickly wrap up the match on Wednesday and that a victory would set up a last-16 tie against John Higgins. The Guardian similarly said O’Sullivan will return on Wednesday afternoon aiming to win the three frames required to seal his place in round two and a meeting with John Higgins.