Ronnie O'Sullivan

Bio

Widely regarded as one of the greatest players that snooker has ever seen, England’s Ronnie O’Sullivan has won a record 23 triple crown events including seven World Championship titles.

O’Sullivan holds the all-time record of 41 ranking event victories and has triumphed at the Masters and UK Championship on an unmatched eight occasions.

He has compiled more century breaks than any other player to date and in 2019 became the first player to have reached 1,000 career centuries. O’Sullivan also holds the record for the most ratified maximum breaks (15) in professional competition, notably including the fastest recorded 147 against Mick Price at the 1997 World Championship.

He has also held the world number one ranking on five separate occasions, most recently returning to top spot in April 2022.

O’Sullivan remains the youngest-ever winner of a ranking event (UK Championship) and the Masters, as well as the oldest at both events, demonstrating his unmatched longevity in the sport.

In 2014 he scored a record 556 points without reply against Ricky Walden at the Masters.

Early Career

A prodigiously talented junior, O’Sullivan compiled his first century break (117) at the age of just 10 before going on to claim the British Under-16 Championship at 13.

He became the youngest player to make a maximum 147 break in an open age tournament at the 1991 English Amateur Championship (a record since surpassed by Sean Maddocks) and would turn professional a year later after winning the World Under-21 Championship in India.

O’Sullivan famously enjoyed unprecedented success as a tour rookie, winning 74 of his first 76 qualifying matches including 38 successive victories at one stage.

Breakthrough

His big breakthrough came during his second season at the 1993 UK Championship when he defeated Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry on his way to claiming his maiden ranking title.

Little over a year later he became the youngest ever Masters champion aged 19 and would go on to claim a total of seven ranking event titles by the turn of the decade and establish himself as not only one of the leading players in the sport, but also one of its most popular.

World Champion

Success continued to elude him at the World Championship in Sheffield however, as he lost at the semi-final stage during three of the four seasons between 1996-1999.

He would break his Crucible duck in 2001 with an 18-14 victory against John Higgins, a result that would contribute to him becoming world number one for a first time a year later.

O’Sullivan would enjoy further success at the World Championship in 2004 and 2008 with defeats of Graeme Dott (18-8) and Ali Carter (18-8), while he also compiled further 147 breaks at the Crucible in 2003 and 2008 to become the first player to make three maximums at snooker’s biggest event.

In 2012 he would add a fourth world crown to his CV with an 18-11 victory against Ali Carter, before in 2013 returning to complete the successful defence of the title for the first time with an 18-12 success win against Barry Hawkins. Not only did the victory see him become only the fourth player to win the World Championship on five or more occasions during the modern era, but it was achieved having only played one match during the entire 2012/13 season in the run-up to the tournament.

The following year he came close to completing a hat-trick of consecutive titles at the Crucible, falling short by losing 18-14 to Mark Selby in the final.

Record Success

Away from the World Championship O’Sullivan has continued to enjoy unprecedented success at several of snooker’s other major tournaments including the UK Championship and Masters events, each of which he has won a record seven times.

He has also won the Shanghai Masters on four occasions, claimed three Champion of Champions titles and won the Premier League on ten occasions – all more than any other player.

At the 2019 Tour Championship he claimed his 36^th ranking title with a 13-11 defeat of Neil Robertson to move level with Stephen Hendry to share the all-time record.

In 2020 he would earn a sixth world title and first for over seven years with an 18-8 defeat of Kyren Wilson in the final. The victory saw him break Stephen Hendry’s record of total ranking event wins.

Two years later, he would equal Hendry’s record of seven world titles after he scored an 18-13 success against Judd Trump at the Crucible Theatre.

O’Sullivan would continue to make history during the 2023/24 season, defeating Ding Junhui 10-7 in the 2023 UK Championship final and Ali Carter by the same scoreline in the following month’s Masters at Alexandra Palace to become the oldest winner of each event and bring his triple crown tally to 23.

Career Honours

WST Ranking Event Titles (41)

• 2023/24: UK Championship, World Grand Prix
• 2021/22: World Grand Prix, World Championship
• 2019/20: World Championship
• 2018/19: UK Championship, Players Championship, Tour Championship
• 2017/18: English Open, Shanghai Masters, UK Championship, World Grand Prix, Players Championship
• 2015/16: Welsh Open
• 2014/15: UK Championship
• 2013/14: Welsh Open
• 2012/13: World Championship
• 2011/12: German Masters, World Championship
• 2009/10: Shanghai Masters
• 2008/09: Northern Ireland Trophy
• 2007/08: UK Championship, World Championship
• 2004/05: Grand Prix, Welsh Open, Irish Masters
• 2003/04: Welsh Open, World Championship
• 2002/03: European Open, Irish Masters
• 2001/02: UK Championship
• 2000/01: China Open, World Championship
• 1999/00: China Open, Scottish Open
• 1997/98: UK Championship, Scottish Open
• 1996/97: Asian Classic, German Open
• 1993/94: UK Championship, British Open

WST Minor-Ranking Event Titles (3)

• 2013/14: Antwerp Open
• 2011/12: Players Tour Championship Event 1, Kay Suzanne Memorial Trophy

Professional Non-Ranking Event Titles (36)

• 2023/24: Shanghai Masters, Masters, Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker
• 2022/23: Hong Kong Masters, Champion of Champions
• 2019/20: Shanghai Masters
• 2018/19: Shanghai Masters, Champion of Champions
• 2016/17: Masters
• 2015/16: Masters
• 2014/15: Champion of Champions
• 2013/14: Champion of Champions, Masters
• 2011/12: Premier League
• 2010/11: Premier League
• 2009/10: Masters
• 2008/09: Premier League, Masters
• 2007/08: Premier League
• 2006/07: Premier League, Masters, Irish Masters
• 2005/06: Premier League
• 2004/05: Masters, Premier League
• 2002/03: Scottish Masters
• 2001/02: Premier League
• 2000/01: Champions Cup, Scottish Masters, Irish Masters, Premier League
• 1998/99: Scottish Masters
• 1996/97: European League
• 1995/96: Charity Challenge
• 1994/95: Masters
• 1993/94: Masters Qualifying Event