Ronnie O’Sullivan saw a three-frame lead cut down to one by Ali Carter by the end of the opening session in their first-round clash.
All eyes at the start were on whether relations would be cordial between the players after several incidents between them in the past, and O’Sullivan cut the ice by offering his hand, which Carter accepted.
At the interval, O’Sullivan led 3-1 after hitting the 1,283rd century of his career. Carter hit back to win the first game following the break but O’Sullivan went clear by three after claiming the next two. But just as the match threatened to get away from him, Carter won the final two frames of the session.
When play resumes on Wednesday, O’Sullivan will be hoping to improve in his long pot success which was just 52 per cent compared to 71 for Carter.
Full report to follow…
05:34 PM BST
Frame 9: O’Sullivan 5 Carter 4
O’Sullivan swerves around the brown to hit the red but leaves Carter with a chance on the red to the bottom corner.
Boom. He slots it in. Scores are level. He starts his break all over again and after polishing off the yellow, brown and green, he is ahead by 16 with 18 remaining.
Blue goes into the middle pocket. Pink into the bottom right. And that’s it. The players shake hands.
Carter trails by just one going into tomorrow’s session.
Frame 9 – O’Sullivan 46 Carter 73
05:30 PM BST
Frame 9: O’Sullivan 5 Carter 3
Carter slips the red in behind the pink, which on the black spot. It’s a lovely shot. O’Sullivan tries to play out of it but fails to connect with the red. It’s a foul and four points to Carter.
Carter begins his break but a yellow into the middle pocket leave the cue ball tight on the brown.
He plays a safety shot, leaving the cue ball near the cushion.
Frame 9 – O’Sullivan 46 Carter 45
05:26 PM BST
Frame 9: O’Sullivan 5 Carter 3
O’Sullivan and Carter share shots as they look to create an opening. O’Sullivan misses another long red and leaves a mid-table red for Carter to slot into the corner.
Carter hits a black into the middle but snookers himself.
Frame 9 – O’Sullivan 46 Carter 33
05:21 PM BST
Frame 9: O’Sullivan 5 Carter 3
O’Sullivan makes starts sharply, firing a pink into the middle pocket. He then goes for an ambitious red into the top left corner.
John Virgo says ‘this will take some potting’. And O’Sullivan misses.
Frame 9 – O’Sullivan 46 Carter 5
05:18 PM BST
Frame 9: O’Sullivan 5 Carter 3
Carter is left is a tight red into the bottom left and misses. Relief for O’Sullivan, who comes back to the table.
Frame 9 – O’Sullivan 17 Carter 5
05:17 PM BST
Frame 9: O’Sullivan 5 Carter 3
Bang. O’Sullivan strokes in a lovely long red into the bottom corner. Where has that been all day?
O’Sullivan gets to work and pockets the blue into the middle. The cue ball spins into the pink and a red slowly goes to the bottom right.
Unlucky O’Sullivan but a big chance for Carter.
Frame 9 – O’Sullivan 17 Carter 5
05:11 PM BST
Frame 8: O’Sullivan 5 Carter 3
Carter puts the black into the bottom left corner but leaves himself in a tricky spot for the last red.
And he misses into the bottom left. The break is over but Carter will be pleased to have won the frame at the first visit.
Crucial frame coming up now.
Frame 8 – O’Sullivan 0 Carter 107
05:09 PM BST
Frame 8: O’Sullivan 5 Carter 2
Carter continues to build his break and moves to within victory as he reaches 60 with 83 remaining.
Carter finds himself slightly out of position on a black but dispatches it expertly.
A rueful O’Sullivan looks on. His lead is about to be cut as we head to the final frame.
A break of 143 is still on for Carter as he scored a red to reach a century.
Frame 8 – O’Sullivan 0 Carter 100
05:04 PM BST
Frame 8: O’Sullivan 5 Carter 2
O’Sullivan opens the frame with a long red but misses for the umpteenth time. His long pot success has been just 55 per cent compared to 69 for Carter.
Carter duly comes to the table and gets to work on the reds and blacks.
This has become a must win frame for Carter and he’s showing control and patience as he builds his break.
He is forced to get the spider out to put away a red.
Frame 8 – O’Sullivan 0 Carter 37
04:56 PM BST
Frame 7: O’Sullivan 5 Carter 2
O’Sullivan gets a look at a long red but misses yet again.
But he makes no mistake with his second chance and this could be another long visit to the table.
Ronnie slides a delicious black into the bottom left pocket to stay on course for a big break.
And once Ronnie gets in the groove there is no stopping him.
Apart from a poor shot on the black that leave him on the side cushion.
No matter, he buries it and in a blur is past 50.
He’s on for another century here and the match is at risk of running away from Carter, who has made too many unforced errors.
O’Sullivan settles for an 85 and it’s 5-2.
Frame 7: O’Sullivan 85 Carter 0
O’Sullivan wins Frame 7
04:45 PM BST
Frame 6: O’Sullivan 4 Carter 2
Ronnie races to the table and starts potting at a speed only he, Jimmy White and Alex Higgins can make any sense of.
Carter is staring into space, rightly looking rueful as O’Sullivan cleans up.
Carter keeps letting his opponents off the hook and it is costing him.
Frame 6: O’Sullivan 69 Carter 60
O’Sullivan wins Frame 6
04:42 PM BST
Frame 6: O’Sullivan 3 Carter 2
Carter looks tuned in now, after struggling with his cue ball on the first two shots of the break.
He screws into the pack and is badly hampered with the white closely surrounded.
But he works his way to of trouble and looks set to manufacture a decent score.
He took his time there, which was the right approach, having snatched at and rushed his shots earlier in the session.
But he misses a regulation red just as he was nearly out of sight in the frame.
Frame 6: O’Sullivan 24 Carter 60
04:34 PM BST
Frame 6: O’Sullivan 3 Carter 2
Carter makes another unforced error and O’Sullivan has another chance to build his confidence.
He switches hands to pot the red left-handed and now he’s on the black.
Can he deliver a BIG break?
No, he misses the red into the middle. Rushing.
Frame 6: O’Sullivan 24 Carter 0
04:31 PM BST
Frame 5: O’Sullivan 3 Carter 2
O’Sullivan needs two snookers but decides to return to the table to go for them.
Most unlike him to carry on in this situation but perhaps he feels the need for more table time.
He misses the red completely and Carter pulls a scrappy frame back.
Frame 5: O’Sullivan 21 Carter 64
Carter wins Frame 5
04:29 PM BST
Frame 5: O’Sullivan 3 Carter 1
And now he’s left a long pot on for O’Sullivan.
But in an error-strewn match O’Sullivan misses, tricky though it was with the brown behind his cue ball.
Carter pots the red but his cue ball goes awry again and the bridge is out again as he desperately tries to scramble these last few reds.
He pots the frame ball and now misses another red.
O’Sullivan is 58 behind with 52 needed.
Carter closes his eyes in dismay as he takes his seat. That was sloppy again from Carter.
Frame 5: O’Sullivan 6 Carter 64
04:24 PM BST
Frame 5: O’Sullivan 3 Carter 1
A poor shot from O’Sullivan, who accidentally breaks up the reds and invites Carter to build a break.
Carter plays a delightful shot that puts him a strong position to go on and take the frame – but we’ve been here before.
He gets on the wrong side of the blue, wrestling still with his positional play but gets out of jail with a lovely pot.
He needs two more reds to put this frame to bed.
And he’s made a dog’s dinner of that shot as he cobbles together a break of 26.
Frame 5: O’Sullivan 6 Carter 57
04:16 PM BST
Frame 5: O’Sullivan 3 Carter 1
Carter puts together a break of 25 but misses the black when trying to srew the cue ball into the pack.
Really poor play there.
But O’Sullivan opts to gamble on a long red and misses it by a mile.
That’s two poor long shots by Ronnie in this frame.
Carter is wondering what to do as there is nothing on. He is scratching his head, his brain looks scrambled.
He gets a double-kiss on the red but gets away with it.
And now it’s cat and mouse safety time.
Frame 5: O’Sullivan 0 Carter 31
04:12 PM BST
Frame 5: O’Sullivan 3 Carter 1
A poor safety shot from Carter gives O’Sullivan a look at a long shot but he is well wide of th mark with his attempt and Carter pots a red with the help of a bridge.
Now, can he build a break?
No, he misses regulation red and that was poor cuemanship.
But this time O’Sullivan fails to punish him and produces a miss of his own.
Another chance for Carter.
Frame 5: O’Sullivan 0 Carter 6
04:07 PM BST
Frame 5: O’Sullivan 3 Carter 1
O’Sullivan said before the tournament that he had decided to take a break because “I lost my bottle” but after a nervous start it seems as though it is Carter who is struggling to settle.
His potting has been on point but his cue-ball control poor.
He needs to improve that if O’Sullivan isn’t going to run away with this match.
The players are back and play resumes.
03:49 PM BST
Frame 4: O’Sullivan 3 Carter 1
O’Sullivan sinks a long red with a fine shot and has the opportunity to construct one of his signature quickfire breaks.
He breaks up the pack with a fine shot on the blue and, after cutting a tricky red into the middle, he’s away.
Carter will be kicking himself as O’Sullivan is building not only breaks but also his confidence, which was fragile in the opening exchanges.
In no time at all a now relaxed O’Sullivan has flown past the 60-point mark.
That’s a century break from The Rocket. 107 in that one visit.
It’s his 1283rd century and the favourite is looking good.
Frame 4: O’Sullivan 111 Carter 7
O’Sullivan wins Frame 4
INTERVAL
03:41 PM BST
Frame 4: O’Sullivan 2 Carter 1
But Carter nails a tricky long shot and has the chance to spnd a while at the table again.
Cab he control his cue ball this time?
No. He seems to have lost his composure.
Carter plays a great snooker but that was unnecessary.
Frame 4: O’Sullivan 4 Carter 7
03:38 PM BST
Frame 4: O’Sullivan 2 Carter 1
A wild miss from O’Sullivan who gets lucky with a stray red that goes safe.
He plays a safety and Carter then goes in off a blue.
Amateur hour.
Frame 4: O’Sullivan 4 Carter 0
03:35 PM BST
Frame 3: O’Sullivan 2 Carter 1
Carter has the chance to kill off the frame but misses a red and now O’Sullivan has a clear run at the colours.
The green disappears with a swagger and Ronnie punishes Carter for his mistakes to take the lead in the match.
Frame 3: O’Sullivan 83 Carter 28
O’Sullivan wins Frame 3.
03:33 PM BST
Frame 3: O’Sullivan 1 Carter 1
Carter and O’Sullivan are now taking refuge in a series of safety shots, with O’Sullivan putting Carter right up on to the baulk cushion, forcing a mistake.
And Ronnie is potting again.
This break won’t be easy as there are four reds on the cushion and his attempt to dislodge them doesn’t give him an easy shot.
But he sends the red away with a delightful long shot.
In no time at all he gets to within eight points of Carter requiring snookers but misses a tricky red along the cushion.
It’s a case of after you Claude, at the moment.
Frame 3: O’Sullivan 55 Carter 27
03:27 PM BST
Frame 3: O’Sullivan 1 Carter 1
Both players are looking equally fallible just now.
Carter keeps getting out of position and O’Sullivan’s potting is a bit off, as though he’s trying to force the issue.
Clearly there are nerves on both sides.
But Carter’s ball striking puts him slightly in the ascendancy at this early stage.
He’s had to bail out with a safety, though.
Frame 3: O’Sullivan 21 Carter 27
03:23 PM BST
Frame 3: O’Sullivan 1 Carter 1
O’Sullivan and Carter both miss long reds, but O’Sullivan shows his class with a superb red into the middle pocket.
He’s smashes into the pack with a top-spin pot of the black and suddenly scoring opportunities abound everywhere.
But he gets slightly out of position on the black and misses it.
O’Sullivan 21 Carter 0
03:20 PM BST
Frame 2: O’Sullivan 1 Carter 1
Two poor safeties from Carter has left a long red on for O’Sullivan.
He pots it and then plays a majestic shot to send the cue ball up to the baulk cushion where the yellow was nestled.
Excellent shot, Ronnie.
And the colours disappear. A smash and grab from O’Sullivan will ease his nerves there.
Carter must be fuming inside.
Frame 2: O’Sullivan 60 Carter 55
O’Sullivan wins Frame 2.
03:16 PM BST
Frame 2: O’Sullivan 0 Carter 1
Carter continues to make a horse’s breakfast of his cue ball manipulation but is potting sublimely.
There’s an awkward red on the side cushion that is going to make his life difficult if he gets that far.
For the time being though, he breezes past Ronnie’s score of 26.
He now needs to dislodge that red with his pot of the black, and he’s unlucky there. He made contact with the red but he has no shot, so it’s snooker time.
Frame 2: O’Sullivan 26 Carter 55
03:12 PM BST
Frame 2: O’Sullivan 0 Carter 1
Carter this time misses a long red and O’Sullivan is well-positioned to clear up.
But he goes too strong on a pink into the middle. A bad miss lets Carter back in.
Is it rust or nerves?
Frame 2: O’Sullivan 26 Carter 14
03:10 PM BST
Frame 2: O’Sullivan 0 Carter 1
Carter has the chance to build a big break now, although again his positional play is sub-optimal.
He is having to lean on his strong potting as he is leaving himself some tricky shots.
And he can do no better than a break of 14.
Frame 2: O’Sullivan 25 Carter 14
03:08 PM BST
Frame 2: O’Sullivan 0 Carter 1
There’s the commentator’s curse. Carter misses a long red by a mile.
And O’Sullivan sinks his.
With the reds kindly spread the seven-time champion at last has the chance to build a big break.
It’s not a big break though as O’Sullivan is preferring to opt for the blue, with the black close to the bottom cushion.
But O’Sullivan misses the black on the cushion by going for too much power and the chance is gone.
Frame 2: O’Sullivan 25 Carter 0
03:02 PM BST
Frame 1: O’Sullivan 0 Carter 1
There is a lot of chat among the commentators and pundits about O’Sullivan’s new cue.
He smashed his trusted stick in a fit of pique in January and so is now acclimatising to a new tool of the trade.
Apparently new cues take a long time for the professionals to get used to.
It’s certainly the case that Carter has started the better of the two players.
Whether that is Ronnie’s nerves or his cue is anyone’s guess.
02:58 PM BST
Frame 1: O’Sullivan 0 Carter 1
O’Sullivan almost goes in-off but the jaws of the middle pocket are kind to him.
But he also misses a tricky pink into the middle pocket.
Carter returns to the baize and pots a tricky red to leave just the colours to clear up, which he does with some more precision potting.
Frame 1: O’Sullivan 22 Carter 88
Carter wins Frame 1.
02:51 PM BST
Frame 1: O’Sullivan 0 Carter 0
O’Sullivan gets off the mark with a straightforward long shot but the cue ball finds a cluster of reds and so there is no shot on a coloured ball.
Carter returns to the table and continues where he left off. There are reds spread everywhere so he has to be favourite to win the frame at this visit.
Carter has made heavy weather of this break.
He is potting magnificently but his positioning of the cue ball is slightly off.
He goes for a long blue and sinks it but then misses a red into the middle.
O’Sullivan gets a second bite of the cherry
Frame 1: O’Sullivan 5 Carter 61.
02:47 PM BST
Frame 1: O’Sullivan 0 Carter 0
That’s a another classy long pot by Carter, cutting the red into the bottom left pocket from range, with a slow confident stroke.
Carter was looking good to build a frame-winning break but after potting a blue and a pink he goes in-off.
O’Sullivan attempts a long pot but misses, leaving the cue ball safe.
Frame 1: O’Sullivan 4 Carter 26.
02:42 PM BST
Frame 1: O’Sullivan 0 Carter 0
After potting the black Carter is unable to build anything concrete and so the safety sparring resumes.
This looks as though it may be a long opening frame.
Frame 1: O’Sullivan 0 Carter 8.
02:40 PM BST
Frame 1: O’Sullivan 0 Carter 0
The players actually shook hands there. No snarling or sniping. All very cordial.
They are sat very close to each other so it would be a bit awkward if hostilities started at this ear;y stage.
Both players have visited the baize and it’s a cagey game of cat and mouse at present, with both players exchanging safety shots.
And it’s first blood to Carter, who sinks a long red to kick off the scoring in this best of 19 match.
02:33 PM BST
The crowd is abuzz
The Crucible is abuzz with anticipation as the crowd await the arrival of these two great rivals.
O’Sullivan is nervously stalking the corridors backstage, cue in hand, like a man who has been invited to a duel, which I suppose he has.
His challenger has yet to emerge from the dressing room. Making him wait, perhaps.
In a massive anticlimax two other players have been announced on stage.
Zach ‘The Sure Thing Surety’ and Ding Junhui have emerged.
But now, finally, the big guns are out.
Let battle commence.
02:27 PM BST
A break for the ages
He may be 49 but O’Sullivan is a unique talent – perhaps the best ever – who tends to come alive at this tournament. He has reached back-to-back quarter-finals at Sheffield since his seventh title victory, and it is only fitting that 28 years ago to the day Ronnie ‘The Rocket’ completed the fastest ever televised 147 break. If you’ve got a spare 5mins 8sec take a look.
28 years ago today, Ronnie O’Sullivan made the fastest 147 break in 5 minutes and 8 seconds!#snooker#ilovesnooker@ronnieo147
pic.twitter.com/eQPyPmZqIg— I ❤️ Snooker (@ILoveSnooker_) April 21, 2025
02:23 PM BST
‘I fancy an eighth’
Carter has never won the Worlds, finishing runner-up twice to O’Sullivan. Indeed he has has not got beyond the last 32 for six years. He has also only beaten O’Sullivan once in 21 attempts so he would like nothing more than to put one over on his bitter rival, who despite his recent hiatus is the clear favourite to win.
You get the feeling O’Sullivan – who has not played since 9 January claiming that his game has not been “in a good place” – is downplaying his chances and exercising a healthy dose of psychological mind games. Often outspoken about others O’Sullivan is also notoriously self-critical and so, having side-stepped so many events, would he really turn up to the big one if his game was so off kilter? He has been doing a lot of media of late, including an appearance on The Overlap, when he admitted: “I’m playing alright”. He told Ian Wright: “I fancy an eighth [world title].”
There is a nice background piece by Jeremy Wilson here.
02:19 PM BST
Bitter rivalry
This season O’Sullivan has withdrawn from no fewer than nine tournaments and so in that context he regards his attendance at the tournament he last won in 2022 as a mini-victory of its own. “Just to come here is an achievement in itself,” he said.
How then will cope against Ali Carter, his snooker nemesis? The pair share a longstanding antipathy that has involved everything from O’Sullivan shoulder-barging Carter at the World Championship in 2018 to an angry exchange after their meeting in the 2024 Masters final, when Carter accused his opponent of acting in a “disgusting” manner and “snotting all over the floor.” Charming. O’Sullivan did not hold back.
02:06 PM BST
The Worlds await
Welcome to our live coverage of the World Snooker Championship. The first-round matches have resumed on Day 4 at The Crucible but the headline act is about to get under way with Ronnie O’Sullivan’s much-anticipated encounter with Ali Carter set to take place at 2.30pm.
Seven-time winner O’Sullivan is the undoubted king of the baize but has endured a difficult time over the last two years.
Although he managed to win two titles last year he has struggled with anxiety and a loss of confidence that forced his decision to take a break from the game four months ago. “The kind of nerves I’ve been feeling off and on for the last two years have not been good nerves,” he told the BBC on the eve of the tournament. “The confidence has been draining away.”
Ronnie O’Sullivan saw a three-frame lead cut down to one by Ali Carter by the end of the opening session in their first-round clash.
All eyes at the start were on whether relations would be cordial between the players after several incidents between them in the past, and O’Sullivan cut the ice by offering his hand, which Carter accepted.
At the interval, O’Sullivan led 3-1 after hitting the 1,283rd century of his career. Carter hit back to win the first game following the break but O’Sullivan went clear by three after claiming the next two. But just as the match threatened to get away from him, Carter won the final two frames of the session.
When play resumes on Wednesday, O’Sullivan will be hoping to improve in his long pot success which was just 52 per cent compared to 71 for Carter.
Full report to follow…
05:34 PM BST
Frame 9: O’Sullivan 5 Carter 4
O’Sullivan swerves around the brown to hit the red but leaves Carter with a chance on the red to the bottom corner.
Boom. He slots it in. Scores are level. He starts his break all over again and after polishing off the yellow, brown and green, he is ahead by 16 with 18 remaining.
Blue goes into the middle pocket. Pink into the bottom right. And that’s it. The players shake hands.
Carter trails by just one going into tomorrow’s session.
Frame 9 – O’Sullivan 46 Carter 73
05:30 PM BST
Frame 9: O’Sullivan 5 Carter 3
Carter slips the red in behind the pink, which on the black spot. It’s a lovely shot. O’Sullivan tries to play out of it but fails to connect with the red. It’s a foul and four points to Carter.
Carter begins his break but a yellow into the middle pocket leave the cue ball tight on the brown.
He plays a safety shot, leaving the cue ball near the cushion.
Frame 9 – O’Sullivan 46 Carter 45
05:26 PM BST
Frame 9: O’Sullivan 5 Carter 3
O’Sullivan and Carter share shots as they look to create an opening. O’Sullivan misses another long red and leaves a mid-table red for Carter to slot into the corner.
Carter hits a black into the middle but snookers himself.
Frame 9 – O’Sullivan 46 Carter 33
05:21 PM BST
Frame 9: O’Sullivan 5 Carter 3
O’Sullivan makes starts sharply, firing a pink into the middle pocket. He then goes for an ambitious red into the top left corner.
John Virgo says ‘this will take some potting’. And O’Sullivan misses.
Frame 9 – O’Sullivan 46 Carter 5
05:18 PM BST
Frame 9: O’Sullivan 5 Carter 3
Carter is left is a tight red into the bottom left and misses. Relief for O’Sullivan, who comes back to the table.
Frame 9 – O’Sullivan 17 Carter 5
05:17 PM BST
Frame 9: O’Sullivan 5 Carter 3
Bang. O’Sullivan strokes in a lovely long red into the bottom corner. Where has that been all day?
O’Sullivan gets to work and pockets the blue into the middle. The cue ball spins into the pink and a red slowly goes to the bottom right.
Unlucky O’Sullivan but a big chance for Carter.
Frame 9 – O’Sullivan 17 Carter 5
05:11 PM BST
Frame 8: O’Sullivan 5 Carter 3
Carter puts the black into the bottom left corner but leaves himself in a tricky spot for the last red.
And he misses into the bottom left. The break is over but Carter will be pleased to have won the frame at the first visit.
Crucial frame coming up now.
Frame 8 – O’Sullivan 0 Carter 107
05:09 PM BST
Frame 8: O’Sullivan 5 Carter 2
Carter continues to build his break and moves to within victory as he reaches 60 with 83 remaining.
Carter finds himself slightly out of position on a black but dispatches it expertly.
A rueful O’Sullivan looks on. His lead is about to be cut as we head to the final frame.
A break of 143 is still on for Carter as he scored a red to reach a century.
Frame 8 – O’Sullivan 0 Carter 100
05:04 PM BST
Frame 8: O’Sullivan 5 Carter 2
O’Sullivan opens the frame with a long red but misses for the umpteenth time. His long pot success has been just 55 per cent compared to 69 for Carter.
Carter duly comes to the table and gets to work on the reds and blacks.
This has become a must win frame for Carter and he’s showing control and patience as he builds his break.
He is forced to get the spider out to put away a red.
Frame 8 – O’Sullivan 0 Carter 37
04:56 PM BST
Frame 7: O’Sullivan 5 Carter 2
O’Sullivan gets a look at a long red but misses yet again.
But he makes no mistake with his second chance and this could be another long visit to the table.
Ronnie slides a delicious black into the bottom left pocket to stay on course for a big break.
And once Ronnie gets in the groove there is no stopping him.
Apart from a poor shot on the black that leave him on the side cushion.
No matter, he buries it and in a blur is past 50.
He’s on for another century here and the match is at risk of running away from Carter, who has made too many unforced errors.
O’Sullivan settles for an 85 and it’s 5-2.
Frame 7: O’Sullivan 85 Carter 0
O’Sullivan wins Frame 7
04:45 PM BST
Frame 6: O’Sullivan 4 Carter 2
Ronnie races to the table and starts potting at a speed only he, Jimmy White and Alex Higgins can make any sense of.
Carter is staring into space, rightly looking rueful as O’Sullivan cleans up.
Carter keeps letting his opponents off the hook and it is costing him.
Frame 6: O’Sullivan 69 Carter 60
O’Sullivan wins Frame 6
04:42 PM BST
Frame 6: O’Sullivan 3 Carter 2
Carter looks tuned in now, after struggling with his cue ball on the first two shots of the break.
He screws into the pack and is badly hampered with the white closely surrounded.
But he works his way to of trouble and looks set to manufacture a decent score.
He took his time there, which was the right approach, having snatched at and rushed his shots earlier in the session.
But he misses a regulation red just as he was nearly out of sight in the frame.
Frame 6: O’Sullivan 24 Carter 60
04:34 PM BST
Frame 6: O’Sullivan 3 Carter 2
Carter makes another unforced error and O’Sullivan has another chance to build his confidence.
He switches hands to pot the red left-handed and now he’s on the black.
Can he deliver a BIG break?
No, he misses the red into the middle. Rushing.
Frame 6: O’Sullivan 24 Carter 0
04:31 PM BST
Frame 5: O’Sullivan 3 Carter 2
O’Sullivan needs two snookers but decides to return to the table to go for them.
Most unlike him to carry on in this situation but perhaps he feels the need for more table time.
He misses the red completely and Carter pulls a scrappy frame back.
Frame 5: O’Sullivan 21 Carter 64
Carter wins Frame 5
04:29 PM BST
Frame 5: O’Sullivan 3 Carter 1
And now he’s left a long pot on for O’Sullivan.
But in an error-strewn match O’Sullivan misses, tricky though it was with the brown behind his cue ball.
Carter pots the red but his cue ball goes awry again and the bridge is out again as he desperately tries to scramble these last few reds.
He pots the frame ball and now misses another red.
O’Sullivan is 58 behind with 52 needed.
Carter closes his eyes in dismay as he takes his seat. That was sloppy again from Carter.
Frame 5: O’Sullivan 6 Carter 64
04:24 PM BST
Frame 5: O’Sullivan 3 Carter 1
A poor shot from O’Sullivan, who accidentally breaks up the reds and invites Carter to build a break.
Carter plays a delightful shot that puts him a strong position to go on and take the frame – but we’ve been here before.
He gets on the wrong side of the blue, wrestling still with his positional play but gets out of jail with a lovely pot.
He needs two more reds to put this frame to bed.
And he’s made a dog’s dinner of that shot as he cobbles together a break of 26.
Frame 5: O’Sullivan 6 Carter 57
04:16 PM BST
Frame 5: O’Sullivan 3 Carter 1
Carter puts together a break of 25 but misses the black when trying to srew the cue ball into the pack.
Really poor play there.
But O’Sullivan opts to gamble on a long red and misses it by a mile.
That’s two poor long shots by Ronnie in this frame.
Carter is wondering what to do as there is nothing on. He is scratching his head, his brain looks scrambled.
He gets a double-kiss on the red but gets away with it.
And now it’s cat and mouse safety time.
Frame 5: O’Sullivan 0 Carter 31
04:12 PM BST
Frame 5: O’Sullivan 3 Carter 1
A poor safety shot from Carter gives O’Sullivan a look at a long shot but he is well wide of th mark with his attempt and Carter pots a red with the help of a bridge.
Now, can he build a break?
No, he misses regulation red and that was poor cuemanship.
But this time O’Sullivan fails to punish him and produces a miss of his own.
Another chance for Carter.
Frame 5: O’Sullivan 0 Carter 6
04:07 PM BST
Frame 5: O’Sullivan 3 Carter 1
O’Sullivan said before the tournament that he had decided to take a break because “I lost my bottle” but after a nervous start it seems as though it is Carter who is struggling to settle.
His potting has been on point but his cue-ball control poor.
He needs to improve that if O’Sullivan isn’t going to run away with this match.
The players are back and play resumes.
03:49 PM BST
Frame 4: O’Sullivan 3 Carter 1
O’Sullivan sinks a long red with a fine shot and has the opportunity to construct one of his signature quickfire breaks.
He breaks up the pack with a fine shot on the blue and, after cutting a tricky red into the middle, he’s away.
Carter will be kicking himself as O’Sullivan is building not only breaks but also his confidence, which was fragile in the opening exchanges.
In no time at all a now relaxed O’Sullivan has flown past the 60-point mark.
That’s a century break from The Rocket. 107 in that one visit.
It’s his 1283rd century and the favourite is looking good.
Frame 4: O’Sullivan 111 Carter 7
O’Sullivan wins Frame 4
INTERVAL
03:41 PM BST
Frame 4: O’Sullivan 2 Carter 1
But Carter nails a tricky long shot and has the chance to spnd a while at the table again.
Cab he control his cue ball this time?
No. He seems to have lost his composure.
Carter plays a great snooker but that was unnecessary.
Frame 4: O’Sullivan 4 Carter 7
03:38 PM BST
Frame 4: O’Sullivan 2 Carter 1
A wild miss from O’Sullivan who gets lucky with a stray red that goes safe.
He plays a safety and Carter then goes in off a blue.
Amateur hour.
Frame 4: O’Sullivan 4 Carter 0
03:35 PM BST
Frame 3: O’Sullivan 2 Carter 1
Carter has the chance to kill off the frame but misses a red and now O’Sullivan has a clear run at the colours.
The green disappears with a swagger and Ronnie punishes Carter for his mistakes to take the lead in the match.
Frame 3: O’Sullivan 83 Carter 28
O’Sullivan wins Frame 3.
03:33 PM BST
Frame 3: O’Sullivan 1 Carter 1
Carter and O’Sullivan are now taking refuge in a series of safety shots, with O’Sullivan putting Carter right up on to the baulk cushion, forcing a mistake.
And Ronnie is potting again.
This break won’t be easy as there are four reds on the cushion and his attempt to dislodge them doesn’t give him an easy shot.
But he sends the red away with a delightful long shot.
In no time at all he gets to within eight points of Carter requiring snookers but misses a tricky red along the cushion.
It’s a case of after you Claude, at the moment.
Frame 3: O’Sullivan 55 Carter 27
03:27 PM BST
Frame 3: O’Sullivan 1 Carter 1
Both players are looking equally fallible just now.
Carter keeps getting out of position and O’Sullivan’s potting is a bit off, as though he’s trying to force the issue.
Clearly there are nerves on both sides.
But Carter’s ball striking puts him slightly in the ascendancy at this early stage.
He’s had to bail out with a safety, though.
Frame 3: O’Sullivan 21 Carter 27
03:23 PM BST
Frame 3: O’Sullivan 1 Carter 1
O’Sullivan and Carter both miss long reds, but O’Sullivan shows his class with a superb red into the middle pocket.
He’s smashes into the pack with a top-spin pot of the black and suddenly scoring opportunities abound everywhere.
But he gets slightly out of position on the black and misses it.
O’Sullivan 21 Carter 0
03:20 PM BST
Frame 2: O’Sullivan 1 Carter 1
Two poor safeties from Carter has left a long red on for O’Sullivan.
He pots it and then plays a majestic shot to send the cue ball up to the baulk cushion where the yellow was nestled.
Excellent shot, Ronnie.
And the colours disappear. A smash and grab from O’Sullivan will ease his nerves there.
Carter must be fuming inside.
Frame 2: O’Sullivan 60 Carter 55
O’Sullivan wins Frame 2.
03:16 PM BST
Frame 2: O’Sullivan 0 Carter 1
Carter continues to make a horse’s breakfast of his cue ball manipulation but is potting sublimely.
There’s an awkward red on the side cushion that is going to make his life difficult if he gets that far.
For the time being though, he breezes past Ronnie’s score of 26.
He now needs to dislodge that red with his pot of the black, and he’s unlucky there. He made contact with the red but he has no shot, so it’s snooker time.
Frame 2: O’Sullivan 26 Carter 55
03:12 PM BST
Frame 2: O’Sullivan 0 Carter 1
Carter this time misses a long red and O’Sullivan is well-positioned to clear up.
But he goes too strong on a pink into the middle. A bad miss lets Carter back in.
Is it rust or nerves?
Frame 2: O’Sullivan 26 Carter 14
03:10 PM BST
Frame 2: O’Sullivan 0 Carter 1
Carter has the chance to build a big break now, although again his positional play is sub-optimal.
He is having to lean on his strong potting as he is leaving himself some tricky shots.
And he can do no better than a break of 14.
Frame 2: O’Sullivan 25 Carter 14
03:08 PM BST
Frame 2: O’Sullivan 0 Carter 1
There’s the commentator’s curse. Carter misses a long red by a mile.
And O’Sullivan sinks his.
With the reds kindly spread the seven-time champion at last has the chance to build a big break.
It’s not a big break though as O’Sullivan is preferring to opt for the blue, with the black close to the bottom cushion.
But O’Sullivan misses the black on the cushion by going for too much power and the chance is gone.
Frame 2: O’Sullivan 25 Carter 0
03:02 PM BST
Frame 1: O’Sullivan 0 Carter 1
There is a lot of chat among the commentators and pundits about O’Sullivan’s new cue.
He smashed his trusted stick in a fit of pique in January and so is now acclimatising to a new tool of the trade.
Apparently new cues take a long time for the professionals to get used to.
It’s certainly the case that Carter has started the better of the two players.
Whether that is Ronnie’s nerves or his cue is anyone’s guess.
02:58 PM BST
Frame 1: O’Sullivan 0 Carter 1
O’Sullivan almost goes in-off but the jaws of the middle pocket are kind to him.
But he also misses a tricky pink into the middle pocket.
Carter returns to the baize and pots a tricky red to leave just the colours to clear up, which he does with some more precision potting.
Frame 1: O’Sullivan 22 Carter 88
Carter wins Frame 1.
02:51 PM BST
Frame 1: O’Sullivan 0 Carter 0
O’Sullivan gets off the mark with a straightforward long shot but the cue ball finds a cluster of reds and so there is no shot on a coloured ball.
Carter returns to the table and continues where he left off. There are reds spread everywhere so he has to be favourite to win the frame at this visit.
Carter has made heavy weather of this break.
He is potting magnificently but his positioning of the cue ball is slightly off.
He goes for a long blue and sinks it but then misses a red into the middle.
O’Sullivan gets a second bite of the cherry
Frame 1: O’Sullivan 5 Carter 61.
02:47 PM BST
Frame 1: O’Sullivan 0 Carter 0
That’s a another classy long pot by Carter, cutting the red into the bottom left pocket from range, with a slow confident stroke.
Carter was looking good to build a frame-winning break but after potting a blue and a pink he goes in-off.
O’Sullivan attempts a long pot but misses, leaving the cue ball safe.
Frame 1: O’Sullivan 4 Carter 26.
02:42 PM BST
Frame 1: O’Sullivan 0 Carter 0
After potting the black Carter is unable to build anything concrete and so the safety sparring resumes.
This looks as though it may be a long opening frame.
Frame 1: O’Sullivan 0 Carter 8.
02:40 PM BST
Frame 1: O’Sullivan 0 Carter 0
The players actually shook hands there. No snarling or sniping. All very cordial.
They are sat very close to each other so it would be a bit awkward if hostilities started at this ear;y stage.
Both players have visited the baize and it’s a cagey game of cat and mouse at present, with both players exchanging safety shots.
And it’s first blood to Carter, who sinks a long red to kick off the scoring in this best of 19 match.
02:33 PM BST
The crowd is abuzz
The Crucible is abuzz with anticipation as the crowd await the arrival of these two great rivals.
O’Sullivan is nervously stalking the corridors backstage, cue in hand, like a man who has been invited to a duel, which I suppose he has.
His challenger has yet to emerge from the dressing room. Making him wait, perhaps.
In a massive anticlimax two other players have been announced on stage.
Zach ‘The Sure Thing Surety’ and Ding Junhui have emerged.
But now, finally, the big guns are out.
Let battle commence.
02:27 PM BST
A break for the ages
He may be 49 but O’Sullivan is a unique talent – perhaps the best ever – who tends to come alive at this tournament. He has reached back-to-back quarter-finals at Sheffield since his seventh title victory, and it is only fitting that 28 years ago to the day Ronnie ‘The Rocket’ completed the fastest ever televised 147 break. If you’ve got a spare 5mins 8sec take a look.
28 years ago today, Ronnie O’Sullivan made the fastest 147 break in 5 minutes and 8 seconds!#snooker#ilovesnooker@ronnieo147
pic.twitter.com/eQPyPmZqIg— I ❤️ Snooker (@ILoveSnooker_) April 21, 2025
02:23 PM BST
‘I fancy an eighth’
Carter has never won the Worlds, finishing runner-up twice to O’Sullivan. Indeed he has has not got beyond the last 32 for six years. He has also only beaten O’Sullivan once in 21 attempts so he would like nothing more than to put one over on his bitter rival, who despite his recent hiatus is the clear favourite to win.
You get the feeling O’Sullivan – who has not played since 9 January claiming that his game has not been “in a good place” – is downplaying his chances and exercising a healthy dose of psychological mind games. Often outspoken about others O’Sullivan is also notoriously self-critical and so, having side-stepped so many events, would he really turn up to the big one if his game was so off kilter? He has been doing a lot of media of late, including an appearance on The Overlap, when he admitted: “I’m playing alright”. He told Ian Wright: “I fancy an eighth [world title].”
There is a nice background piece by Jeremy Wilson here.
02:19 PM BST
Bitter rivalry
This season O’Sullivan has withdrawn from no fewer than nine tournaments and so in that context he regards his attendance at the tournament he last won in 2022 as a mini-victory of its own. “Just to come here is an achievement in itself,” he said.
How then will cope against Ali Carter, his snooker nemesis? The pair share a longstanding antipathy that has involved everything from O’Sullivan shoulder-barging Carter at the World Championship in 2018 to an angry exchange after their meeting in the 2024 Masters final, when Carter accused his opponent of acting in a “disgusting” manner and “snotting all over the floor.” Charming. O’Sullivan did not hold back.
02:06 PM BST
The Worlds await
Welcome to our live coverage of the World Snooker Championship. The first-round matches have resumed on Day 4 at The Crucible but the headline act is about to get under way with Ronnie O’Sullivan’s much-anticipated encounter with Ali Carter set to take place at 2.30pm.
Seven-time winner O’Sullivan is the undoubted king of the baize but has endured a difficult time over the last two years.
Although he managed to win two titles last year he has struggled with anxiety and a loss of confidence that forced his decision to take a break from the game four months ago. “The kind of nerves I’ve been feeling off and on for the last two years have not been good nerves,” he told the BBC on the eve of the tournament. “The confidence has been draining away.”
