For some snooker gamers, altering their cue could be a traumatic expertise – not for Ronnie O’Sulivan.
The 50-year-old, a seven-time world champion, used a special cue on Wednesday to the one he performed with on Tuesday, and each had the similar dominant impact.
His 10-2 victory over Chinese debutant He Guoqiang was the joint greatest to this point at the 2026 World Championship and stored O’Sullivan on target for a record-breaking eighth Crucible title.
He led 7-2 after Tuesday’s first session and breaks of 62, 113, 100 on Wednesday, all inside an hour and all along with his back-up cue, arrange a mouth-watering last-16 tie towards four-time winner John Higgins.
“The tip is more important than the cue – that’s why I brought two cues,” stated O’Sullivan, who admitted it had been a dangerous tactic.
“I’ve been saving this all year because it had a bit of life in it and I thought ‘if I come here and my main cue is no good…’.
“The tip wasn’t good yesterday. I did a superb job, contemplating. I believed ‘a little bit of a roll of the cube’, it was a gamble. You need to again your self. I make some loopy choices in all people else’s eyes, however they make full sense to me.
“I was a bit nervous because I thought ‘you could look a bit silly’.”
Instead of wanting foolish, O’Sullivan make two century breaks in three rapid-fire entertaining frames earlier than an enthralled Crucible crowd, which included former Manchester United and England midfielder Paul Scholes.
It almost received higher too.
In the penultimate body of the match, O’Sullivan appeared on target for a most 147 break, potting 9 reds and eight blacks, earlier than opting to go for a blue in a break of 113.
