Ronnie O’Sullivan produced the highest break ever recorded in professional snooker, compiling a 153 during his World Open quarter-final win over Ryan Day in China.
The 50-year-old earned a free ball after leaving Day snookered at the start of the opening frame. He used the free ball to pot the green, then a black, giving him eight points before he began on the reds. O’Sullivan then cleared all 15 reds with 13 blacks and two pinks, finished the colours and moved the scoreboard to 153 — surpassing the previous World Snooker Tour record.
The break helped power a dominant 5-0 victory, sending O’Sullivan into the semi-finals. He had reached the last eight with earlier wins over Matthew Selt and Shaun Murphy.
After the match he posted a message on X, saying: “Just want to say a big shoutout to all the people who have been messaging me, congratulating me on the 153. It was a pretty cool moment, really happy to do it. Thank you to everyone out there that has supported me.”
The new mark eclipses Jamie Burnett’s Tour record of 148, set during UK Championship qualifying in 2004.
O’Sullivan is chasing his next ranking title after his last win, a 10-7 victory over Judd Trump in the World Grand Prix final in January 2024. His next stop after the World Open is the World Snooker Championship in April.