Yushan, March 20 – Seven-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan once again made history in snooker, achieving the highest break ever, a stunning 153, in his quarter-final against Ryan Day at the World Open.
The 50-year-old Englishman set the new record in the opening frame of his quarter-final against Ryan Day. Also known as 'The Rocket', Sullivan has achieved a perfect 147 break, a record 17 times previously.
On Friday, he achieved this with a free ball and included 14 blacks with two pinks, before he deposited all the colours to end on 153, which left the Englishman two points short of the highest possible run of 155.
"I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who has been messaging me, congratulating me on the 153," O'Sullivan said in a video posted on X. "It was a pretty cool moment, and I'm really happy to have achieved it. Thank you to everyone out there who has supported me."
The only previous break to exceed 147 prior to this was a 148 made by Jamie Burnett at the 2004 UK Championship qualifying. O'Sullivan's incredible run on Friday surpasses that and puts him in line for the £5,000 high break prize.
O'Sullivan will face China's Wu Yize in the semi-finals after the Chinese defeated Northern Ireland's Mark Allen with a 5-1 win.
Earlier this season, the seven-time world champion became only the second player in snooker history to make two maximum 147 breaks in a single match, achieving this feat in his Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters semi-final against Chris Wakelin. He followed on from Jackson Page, who made two maximums in the penultimate round of the 2025 World Championship qualifying.
O'Sullivan has recently embarked on a quest to rebuild his game in a bid to rediscover his top form before his career is over. Earlier, he admitted that his one remaining goal in snooker is to win a record-breaking eighth World Championship.