Ronnie O'Sullivan Leads John Higgins 6-2 as Barry Hawkins Knocks Out Mark Williams 13-9

Ronnie O'Sullivan took a 6-2 lead over John Higgins after the opening session of their World Championship last-16 tie, while Mark Williams—one of snooker's “Class of 92”—was knocked out after losing 13-9 to Barry Hawkins at a packed Crucible.

“- Published Ronnie O'Sullivan leads John Higgins 6-2 after the opening session of their World Championship last-16 tie but Mark Williams, the other member of snooker's fabled 'Class of 92', was knocked out of the tournament”

BBC

The BBC said the much-anticipated match between “50-year-olds O'Sullivan and Higgins” came “30 years after their first Crucible meeting,” and it reported that before play began the crowd gave a standing ovation to O'Sullivan, Higgins and Williams to celebrate their contribution to the sport.

BBC

O'Sullivan’s Saturday form included breaks of 86, 82, 137 and 95 as he won four of the first five frames to lead 4-1, and the BBC added that Higgins made a run of 68 in frame six.

The BBC also reported that O'Sullivan won the last two frames of the session, including a break of 76 in the final frame of the day, to end with a four-frame advantage.

The match will resume on Sunday evening at 19:00 BST, and the BBC said O'Sullivan would need to take six more frames to win with a session to spare.

In the same BBC report, the other last-16 match ended with Hawkins securing the victory after leading 10-6 at the end of two sessions, with the BBC noting that Hawkins turned 47 on Wednesday.

Hawkins’ quarter-final opponent was set as Mark Allen, after Allen defeated Kyren Wilson 13-9, according to the BBC.

Barry Hawkins rounded off a 13-9 victory over Mark Williams to reach the quarter-finals, and the World Snooker Tour’s match report framed it as a return to the Crucible’s later stages after a stretch of early exits.

The World Snooker Tour report said Hawkins made the quarter-finals “for the first time in eight years,” and it described his record at the Theatre of Dreams between 2013 and 2018, when he was runner-up to Ronnie O'Sullivan in 2013 and reached “a further four semi-finals and one quarter-final.”

FlashScore UK

It also stated that Hawkins had “only won three matches in the final stages since 2019” and that he “exited after the first round in the last three years,” before an emphatic opening “10-4 win over Matthew Stevens” ended a losing streak.

In the Hawkins-Williams match itself, the World Snooker Tour report said Hawkins held a “healthy 10-6 advantage” as play got underway, then extended it with “a run of 85 in frame 18” to make it 11-7.

It added that Williams reduced the gap with a “70” and that Williams had an opportunity in the 22nd frame but “a missed cut back red meant he could only muster 25,” after which Hawkins “pounced” to “get over the line.”

The BBC’s account of the same match included Williams’ post-match remarks, with the Welshman saying, “I just had to try my best over the three sessions,” and adding, “I just don't make enough breaks any more.”

Hawkins’ own comments in the World Snooker Tour report emphasized belief and reception, saying, “I think in the last four or five years I've got more belief in myself and that has made the difference in the last few days.”

Mark Allen advanced to the Crucible quarter-finals after defeating Kyren Wilson 13-9, and the BBC described a match that swung dramatically from a 5-0 start to a narrow deficit before Allen pulled away again.

“Login All results All Results Exact Matches Date Added Date Added Relevance Hawkins Powers Past Williams 4 hours ago Tournaments By World Snooker Tour Share Barry Hawkins rounded off a superb 13-9 victory over Mark Williams to make the quarter-finals of the Halo World Championship for the first time in eight years”

World Snooker Tour

The BBC said Allen, 40, led 5-0 but then trailed 6-5, before moving into a 9-7 advantage by the end of Friday's middle session.

It reported that Allen and “managed to win four of the six frames on Saturday to reach the last eight for a sixth time,” and it noted that his best Crucible performances came in 2009 and 2023 when he reached the semi-finals.

The BBC also placed Allen’s broader career context alongside his current form, saying he had “almost four months as world number one in 2024” and that he had won “two-thirds of snooker's Triple Crown,” having lifted the Masters title in 2018 and the UK Championship in 2022.

Allen’s own comments in the BBC report stressed that he still believed he could win a world title, saying, “But I still think I have got the ability to do it. That's why I keep on coming back.”

He also told reporters, “Any win here is a good win, but the biggest positive is I'm in the quarter-finals and I'm in second gear so there's plenty more to come.”

The World Snooker Tour report also set up the quarter-final pairing by stating that Hawkins “will face Mark Allen,” linking Allen’s win over Wilson to the next stage of the tournament.

While the BBC focused on the scoreboard and key turning points, FlashScore UK framed the O'Sullivan-Higgins contest as a “legends' clash” with a detailed blow-by-blow of breaks and missed shots, and it used different language to describe the same session.

FlashScore UK said O'Sullivan “takes a 6-2 lead into tomorrow evening, when the match resumes,” and it described the first frame as O'Sullivan “rattled in an 86 break in just under 10 minutes.”

FlashScore UK

It then described a moment where O'Sullivan “missed a very makeable pink,” which allowed Higgins to “clear the colours and level the match,” before FlashScore UK said O'Sullivan responded with “a 95 clearance and a 4-1 lead.”

In contrast, the BBC’s account emphasized the session’s overall arc, including that O'Sullivan won the last two frames with a “break of 76 in the final frame of the day,” and it reported that Higgins got a “run of 68” in frame six.

FlashScore UK also described the sixth frame as Higgins making “37” before O'Sullivan “couldn't capitalise,” and it said Higgins reduced the deficit with a “68 break” to make it “2-4.”

For the Hawkins-Williams match, FlashScore UK similarly described the same 13-9 result but added a specific sequence: it said Williams took the first frame, then Hawkins responded with “a superb 85,” and it described Hawkins needing “just one more frame after the interval to clinch the match.”

The World Snooker Tour report, meanwhile, placed the match inside a broader tournament story about Hawkins’ past Crucible record and his “bid for a maiden world title,” rather than focusing on individual frame-by-frame details.

With the last-16 ties concluded, the quarter-final line-up and next matchups were set in the reports, and the players’ own words pointed to what comes next at the Crucible.

“Even after the main draw was announced, many experts were already eyeing up a potential last-16 showdown between Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins, two active legends who have both been playing at the highest level since 1992”

FlashScore UK

The BBC said Hawkins will play Northern Ireland's Mark Allen in the quarter-finals on Tuesday and Wednesday, and it also said Allen defeated Kyren Wilson 13-9 to reach the last eight.

BBC

In the same BBC report, Allen’s comments included, “I've got as much out of this event as I've deserved,” and he added, “I've not played well enough to win it,” even as he insisted, “But I still think I have got the ability to do it.”

The World Snooker Tour report similarly looked forward by stating that Hawkins “will face Mark Allen for a return to the single table set up,” tying the next stage to the tournament’s format.

It also described Hawkins’ momentum coming into Sheffield, saying he “captured his fifth ranking event title earlier this year” by beating Jack Lisowski 9-5 in the Welsh Open final to capture the Ray Reardon Trophy for the first time.

For the O'Sullivan-Higgins match, the BBC said the match will resume on Sunday evening at 19:00 BST, and it specified that O'Sullivan would need to take six more frames to win with a session to spare.

FlashScore UK echoed the schedule by saying O'Sullivan “takes a 6-2 lead into tomorrow evening, when the match resumes,” and it described the match as continuing from the interval with O'Sullivan holding the advantage.