Ronnie O'Sullivan keeps breaking records in snooker — now, at age 50, he's made the highest-ever break in the history of the professional game.
The seven-time world champion cleared the table for a break of 153 in the first frame of his 5-0 win over Ryan Day at the World Open in China on Friday.
The previous biggest break in competition was 148, made by Jamie Burnett in qualifying for the UK Championship in 2004.
“I feel blessed to be able to achieve these things,” said O'Sullivan, who is widely regarded as the greatest-ever snooker player.
“I’m sure long past when I’m not here, there’ll still be people going, ‘That was pretty cool what that guy’s done’.”
The classic “maximum” break in snooker is 147 — 15 reds, 15 blacks and all the colors — but a player can score more if he starts it with a free ball. That happens when a player is snookered on all the reds following a foul by the opponent, and can nominate another ball as a red before potting a color and then starting his break as normal.
It means it is technically possible to make a break of 155.
O'Sullivan followed a free ball and a black by potting 15 reds, 13 blacks and two pinks to reach the colors, which he cleared up under huge pressure with history on the line. He smiled and laughed as he shook hands with Day, and appeared confused as he looked at the scoreboard.
“I was just thinking about trying to win the frame, you know,” O'Sullivan said, “and then it got to a certain point and I did realize and I was like, ‘It seems there’s too many balls on the table so something's not quite right.'”
O'Sullivan is tied for the record of most world championships with Stephen Hendry, has the most major titles (23), the most ranking titles (41), the most century breaks (more than 1,300) and the most 147s (17), including the quickest in a remarkable 5 minutes, 8 seconds at the world championship in 1997.
Already this season, O'Sullivan, who only plays sporadically on the circuit in the latter years of his career, became the first player to make two 147s in one match — in the semifinals of the Saudi Arabia Masters last year.
“I’ve been the first to do many things,” he said of his latest feat, “so I thought I’d get that one as well.
“For me, it’s the excitement and the buzz. If the excitement and the buzz is there, I can do great things. If not, I don’t get excited by it.”
Australian snooker player Neil Robertson, a former world champion, praised O'Sullivan.
“The best ever and the best there ever will be,” Robertson posted on X. “Snooker fans I hope you’ve cherished him over the years in the joy he’s brought to millions over 4 decades.”
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In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Ronnie O'Sullivan of England competes during the second round match against Xiao Guodong of China at the Snooker World Grand Prix 2026 in Hong Kong, Feb. 5, 2026. (Lo Ping Fai/Xinhua via AP)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Zamareya Jones scored 15 of her career-high 30 points in the first half to help build a double-digit lead and seventh-seeded North Carolina State went on to beat 10th-seeded Tennessee 76-61 on Friday night in the first round of the women's NCAA Tournament.
The Wolfpack (21-10) will play second-seeded Michigan (26-6) on the Wolverines' home court in the second round Sunday. They might be without All-ACC guard Zoe Brooks, who injured his right leg in the quarter and didn't return.
The Lady Vols (16-14) have dropped eight straight games for the first time in the NCAA women's basketball era that dates to the 1981-82 season, and they matched the 2015-16 team's school record for losses.
Instead of starting the game with a sense of urgency, they seemed flat and North Carolina State took advantage.
The Wolfpack made their first eight shots — sometimes without much resistance — and went on a 15-0 run to take a 19-4 lead.
The Lady Vols rallied to trail by just seven after the opening quarter, but fell behind 40-29 after two quarters.
Talaysia Cooper slammed the basketball on the court at halftime after Tennessee gave up an offensive rebound and putback in the final seconds of the first half.
The Lady Vols' leading scorer, who was benched in the team's last game at the SEC Tournament, appeared to be agitated as she walked off the court while having an an animated conversation with a member of the team's staff.
Cooper put her frustrations aside to score 24 points and it didn't help that Janiah Barker, who's second on the team in scoring, was ruled out with an illness.
Mia Pauldo made a 3-pointer with 3:03 left in the third to pull the Lady Vols within two points, but North Carolina State outscored them 9-2 to start the fourth ahead 57-48.
The Lady Vols didn't put up much of a fight in the final quarter of their last game, a month after coach Kim Caldwell said last month there was “a lot of quit in us,” after a 93-50 loss at South Carolina.
Tennessee, which last won on Feb. 12 against Missouri, lost their previous seven games by an average of nearly 10 points and had another familiar result against the Wolfpack after opening the season with a three-point setback.
Pat Summitt led the Lady Vols to eight national titles and her legacy looms over Caldwell as she tries to pick up the pieces of the slumping program after her second season in charge.
The Wolfpack advanced for the eight time in their last nine NCAA Tournaments and will have to beat the Wolverines in front of their fans to reach the Sweet 16 for the seventh time under coach Wes Moore.
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
Tennessee guard Talaysia Cooper (55) looks to shoot against North Carolina State forward Tilda Trygger (18) during the first half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 20, 2026, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)
