Ronnie O’Sullivan, a seven-time world champion, made history in snooker by scoring the sport’s highest break of 153 during his quarterfinal match against Ryan Day at the World Open. This remarkable achievement occurred in the opening frame of the match, where the 50-year-old Englishman, also known as ‘The Rocket’, surpassed his previous perfect 147 break record, achieved 17 times before.
During the match, O’Sullivan, aided by a free ball, scored 14 blacks along with two pinks, before potting all the colors to reach a total of 153 points. This score left him just two points short of the maximum possible break of 155. In a video message, O’Sullivan expressed his gratitude to his supporters for their messages of congratulations on his achievement.
The previous record for the highest break in snooker was 148, set by Jamie Burnett during the 2004 UK Championship qualifying round. O’Sullivan’s exceptional performance on Friday not only surpassed this record but also positioned him to potentially win the 5,000-pound prize for the highest break. He is set to face China’s Wu Yize in the semifinals after Wu’s victory over Mark Allen.
In a recent season, O’Sullivan became only the second player in snooker history to achieve two maximum 147 breaks in a single match, accomplishing this feat during his Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters semi-final against Chris Wakelin. His ultimate goal remains winning an eighth World Championship title, as he continues to work on rebuilding his game to regain his peak performance before retiring from the sport.
