Ronnie O’Sullivan Advances to World Open Quarter-Finals, Defeats Shaun Murphy 5-3

Ronnie O’Sullivan secured his place in the quarter-finals of the World Open in Yushan with a 5-3 victory over Shaun Murphy on Thursday, March 19, 2026. This win marks O’Sullivan’s 150th ranking quarter-final appearance.

Match Highlights

O’Sullivan began strongly with a 96 break in the first frame. Murphy responded impressively with a 139 break in the second frame, briefly taking the lead. However, O’Sullivan regained control with runs of 77 and 121, retaking the lead in the match. After Murphy leveled the score, O’Sullivan finished strongly with breaks of 89 and 76 to close out the match.

Recent Form

The seven-time world champion has not won a ranking event since January 2024, but has shown strong form in the early stages of the World Open, having previously won 5-1 against Ross Muir and 5-0 against Matthew Selt.

Next Round

O’Sullivan will face Ryan Day of Wales in the quarter-finals on Friday, after Day defeated Artemijs Zizins 5-4.

Other Quarter-Final Matchups

Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen also progressed to the quarter-finals with a 5-0 win over Zhou Yuelong of China. Allen will play Wu Yize of China, who defeated 2024 world champion Kyren Wilson 5-2.

Source: BBC Sport