Ronnie O’Sullivan makes snooker history with record 153 break at World Open
Ronnie O’Sullivan has made snooker history by hitting the highest-ever professional break of 153 against Ryan Day during their World Open quarter-final in Yushan, China on Friday.
The seven-time world champion capitalised on an early free ball to execute a flawless 16-red clearance in the opening frame.
The 50-year-old potted the green as his extra red before methodically clearing the table, occasionally flirting with the prospect of a mythical maximum 155.
A slight positional error forced the veteran to take pink instead of black at a crucial stage, narrowly missing out on the ultimate snooker milestone.
Shattering a two-decade record
Despite that minor setback, the snooker icon sank a difficult final black along the top cushion to eclipse Jamie Burnett’s previous benchmark of 148, which was set in 2004.
The astonishing feat left both the crowd and his opponent stunned, with the Welshman graciously applauding the achievement from his chair.
Fellow professional and commentator Neal Foulds was equally amazed by the historic clearance.
“Ronnie O’Sullivan has just made a breaking 153 in the opening frame of his World Open match. Mindblowing.”
Surging towards the semi-finals
Prior to this magical moment, the 2025/26 campaign had been relatively frustrating for the former world number one.
However, he has rediscovered his masterful touch in Asia this week, previously dispatching Matthew Selt and Shaun Murphy to reach the last eight.
Following his record-setting opening frame, ‘The Rocket’ quickly established a commanding 4-0 advantage in the best-of-nine encounter.
