Ronnie O’Sullivan pegged back by qualifier Pang Junxu in Sheffield

15.04.2023 - 14:43 breakingnews.ie

Ronnie O’Sullivan’s hopes of cruising into the second round of the World Snooker Championship hang in the balance after an impressive revival by Chinese qualifier Pang Junxu at the Crucible.

The seven-time champion looked set for the convincing victory he craved on the opening day after reeling off the first five frames of their best-of-19 match which will conclude on Saturday evening.

But Pang got on the board at the sixth time of asking with an impressive clearance of 133, and gave himself a flicker of hope after winning the last two frames of the session to reduce O’Sullivan’s lead to 6-3.

The 47-year-old O’Sullivan had insisted during the build-up that his chances of going clear of Stephen Hendry on eight modern-day titles would depend on his ability to negotiate the early stages of the tournament with the minimum of effort.

Snooker World World Snooker Championship O’Sullivan qualifier Ronnie Osullivan Stephen Hendry China Sheffield

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