Judd Trump mounts a late comeback but can’t stop O’Sullivan from securing the win at the Crucible

Ronnie O’Sullivan triumphed over Judd Trump in a tense final to claim his seventh World Snooker Championship, equalling Stephen Hendry’s modern record. Despite a dramatic fightback from Trump, O’Sullivan secured the victory with an 18-13 scoreline, highlighted by a crucial break of 83 in the decisive moments.

The 46-year-old celebrated the win with his children, who ran into the arena to share the joyous moment, as well as a heartfelt embrace with Trump, lasting over a minute. With this victory, O’Sullivan became the oldest snooker world champion in history, overtaking Ray Reardon, and secured a £500,000 prize.

Although O’Sullivan entered the final with a commanding 12-5 lead, the match was not without challenges. A tense session on Sunday saw O’Sullivan clash with referee Olivier Marteel and receive a formal warning for an alleged lewd gesture, which he denied in a post-match interview. However, the incident did little to detract from his dominant performance over the first two days of the tournament.

Trump showed his resilience by staging a comeback during Monday’s afternoon session, winning the first three frames and cutting O’Sullivan’s lead to 13-9. Trump continued to press forward, even recording a record-breaking 109th century of the tournament with a clearance of 109 in the process. This brought the score to 17-13 and gave Trump a flicker of hope in front of a raucous Crucible crowd.

However, O’Sullivan regained control during the evening, taking the first two frames with breaks of 82 and 88, demonstrating his ability to capitalise on key errors. Although Trump fought back, O’Sullivan stayed composed and closed the match to seal his seventh world title.

This victory solidifies O’Sullivan’s status as one of snooker’s greatest players, as he overcame both pressure and Trump’s late resurgence to clinch a remarkable triumph at the Crucible Theatre.