Ronnie O’Sullivan has tried to lower expectations for himself when he takes on old rival John Higgins in the second round of the World Snooker Championship, insisting he is the underdog.
The Rocket soared into the last 16 with a dominant 10-2 win over debutant He Guoqiang, making three centuries along the way.
It was a great start to his campaign to try and win a record eighth world title, but there is a significantly tougher challenge ahead in the next round.
Higgins downed Ali Carter 10-7 in his first contest and now two of the greatest players in history will meet early in the draw with a place in the quarter-finals on the line.
O’Sullivan has played a relatively light schedule this season and has not won a ranking title since January 2024, whereas Higgins has been competing much more regularly and won two big titles in 2025.
With this in mind, the Rocket says the pressure is all on the Scot, who he claims is favourite when they meet.
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‘John loves playing me, he really enjoys it. I think he plays better against me than I do against him,’ O’Sullivan told the BBC.
‘I’ll probably be a bit of an underdog because I’ve hardly played for the last three years, compared to John. He’s at every tournament and beating a lot of good players.
‘Rusty Ron comes here and rolls the dice and some of the time they’re sixes, but most of the time they’re ones, the last three years. Hopefully I can throw a couple of fives or sixes against John.
‘He’s probably favourite but it’s a different type of pressure. The pressure is off me and probably more on John in this match. But it should be a good game, hopefully I can give him a decent game.’
It wasn’t the most subtle attempt to alleviate pressure on himself ahead of a match which the bookmakers suggest O’Sullivan is actually a clear favourite for.
With both men now 50 years old, the Rocket says he has been feeling his age around the Crucible.
‘Just going in the practice room and hanging around this venue I feel kind of old now because everyone’s 22, 23, it’s like walking into a creche,’ he said. ‘But we’re still hanging around, having a go.’
O’Sullivan talked up two of those youngsters, with particular praise for teenage debutant Stan Moody, who he reckons is going right to the top.
‘Stan gave me a little nod the other day. He’s a lovely boy and a great player,’ said O’Sullivan. ‘He’s got a lovely cue action and the way he gets through the ball, I think he’s going to be a world champion for sure.
‘Liam Pullen, lovely guy, I like seeing all the youngsters coming through. It does make you feel a little bit out of place, thinking why am I still here?’
The seven-time world champion was not tested by He in round one, but he did look good nevertheless, as he did at the World Open last month when he reached the final.
‘I’m not the player I was and probably never will be, but as long as I can still enjoy the game, which I’m starting to enjoy again,’ he said. ‘I’ve got a new method, I was a bit lost for three years, really lost.
‘I feel like I’m getting through the ball, but still not good enough to win these events. I have to rely on a bit of luck, whereas years ago, I felt that if my game was ok it would take someone really good at their best to beat me. Probably not so much now. I have to play really good and they can play alright and still beat me, so it’s different dynamics, you know.’
O’Sullivan is clearly still capable of incredible brilliance on the table, as shown by his double-147 match in Saudi Arabia this season and his record 153 break last month.
Even in his opening win over He there were signs of his immense best, but in general he feels past his peak now he is in his sixth decade.
Asked if coming to terms with that is tough mentally, he said: ‘I’m quite happy just being in this situation. If you told me I’d be here not favourite to win but maybe sixth or seventh favourite and enjoying the game I’d say, yeah great.
‘It’s definitely different. It’s harder to put all my eggs in one basket now, because you’re not sure if you’re going to get the wins.
‘Whereas before if I put the work in and I do this it’s probably going to happen for me at some point, irrelevant of what somebody else does. So it was all kind of in my hands.
‘Whereas now, I put all the work in and still don’t get much out of it, so it’s harder to go in with both feet and put your whole life into it. That’s why I do stints now. I do little stints, go bang, bang, bang and I’m OK I can still do it. But I just want to enjoy myself and not be a slave to the game.’
The Class of 92 icons play over three sessions starting on Saturday evening and concluding on Monday afternoon.