Ronnie O’Sullivan crowned World Champion as he beats Judd Trump to equal Stephen Hendry record

Ronnie O'Sullivan is a seven-time world champion after beating Judd Trump in an absorbing final at The Crucible.

The iconic left-hander further cemented his status as one of the greats of the game, holding off a spirited fightback from Trump to eventually prevail 18-13. He finished the contest in style, executing a break of 85 to rapturous applause from the sell-out crowd.

After dominating the first two sessions on Sunday, the outcome looked inevitable as 'The Rocket' began the day with a commanding 12-5 lead. Indeed, many were speculating if Trump would even be able to force a final session, needing a minimum of three of the opening eight frames to avoid a harrowing early defeat.

However, any thoughts of a procession were dispelled the 2019 champion then mounted a brave fightback, taking the opening session 6-2 to leave things standing at 14-11. Suddenly, not only was the contest in the balance, but also O'Sullivan's hopes of equalling Stephen Hendry's record of seven world titles.

But having looked unusually tense in the afternoon, O'Sullivan settled nerves with a break of 82 in the opening frame of the night. After Trump then missed a crucial black, the Wordsley star capitalised again with a clearance of 88 to make it 16-11.

That left him just two frames from glory, and he threatened to break free again with a break of 27 only for a rare miscalculation to halt the break. Both players then missed a series of chances in a tense period of play, before Trump sank a long red before negotiating some tricky positional play with a break of 64 to stem the tide.

Not for long though, with O'Sullivan handed another chance to get amongst the balls in the next frame, and he racked up a break of 75 to leave himself on the brink. And