Ronnie O’Sullivan v Pang Junxu live stream | World Snooker Championship 2025 preview
O’Sullivan and Pang go head-to-head (Photo credit: Action Plus Sports Images/Alamy Live News)
Ronnie O’Sullivan resumes his quest for a record eighth world title with a Second Round tie against Pang Junxu at The Crucible.
The duo face off on the sport’s biggest stage for the second time as Pang bids to avenge his debut defeat two years ago.
O’Sullivan has ended his three-month self-imposed exile from professional competition to resume his quest for a hallowed eighth Crucible crown.
After pulling out of several ranking events this season, as well as The Masters, speculation mounted over O’Sullivan’s involvement in the sport’s showpiece event, but the 49-year-old has maintained his ever-present record at The Crucible.
Having made his debut here as a 17-year-old back in 1993, The Rocket made the fastest professional maximum on record in 1997 and went on to claim his first world title four years later before adding a further six to equal Stephen Hendry’s tally.
However, personal turmoil has curtailed much of O’Sullivan’s 2024/25 season, with his last ranking event appearance coming in November when he lost out to Barry Hawkins in Round One of the UK Championship, before snapping his cue in frustration at the Championship League in January and pulling out of the tournament.
The 41-time ranking event winner had been practicing at his purpose-built facility in Riyadh in preparation for his highly-anticipated return, where he hopes to replicate his infamous 2013 triumph when he went on to win the world title after almost full season out of action.
The Essex icon dismissed any fears over potential rustiness as he brushed aside rival Ali Carter 10-4 in the opening round, reeling off five consecutive frames in a clinical second session.
He now faces an opponent 24 years his junior in what appears to be a wide open top quarter of the draw which has already seen the likes of Kyren Wilson, Neil Robertson, Mark Selby and Mark Allen bow out.
Pang is making his third consecutive appearance at The Crucible and made it third time lucky by defeating 12th seed Zhang Anda 10-7 to reach the Last 16 for the first time.
Semi-finalist in this season’s Northern Ireland Open, the 25-year-old has climbed to 27th in the world rankings and will have his sights set on a landmark victory to tear up the script against the sport’s all-time great.
O’Sullivan prevailed 10-7 in their first round meeting here in 2023 and won their two subsequent meetings, before Pang recorded his first head-to-head triumph at the 2024 International Championship with a 6-4 success in the Last 32.
The match gets under way from 2.30pm BST on Saturday for a maximum of eight frames, before resuming from 2.30pm on Sunday and being played to a finish over the best of 25 from 7pm on Monday.
Either 13th seed Si Jiahui or qualifier Ben Woollaston will await the winner in the quarter-finals.
How to watch Ronnie O’Sullivan v Pang Junxu live stream
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