Dave Hendon Column: Ronnie O'Sullivan continues to defy history with more breathtaking displays at a snooker table
Published 20/03/2026 at 10:26 GMT
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TNT Sports commentator Dave Hendon marvels at Ronnie O'Sullivan's latest piece of history. A break of 153 is the highest-ever recorded and shows the Rocket for the great he is. All players have the capacity to raise their standard, but no one else can raise the bar quite so high. His ability to craft a break like this and control his emotions at the same time is what marks him out from the rest.
'Very special moment!' - Watch O'Sullivan create history with highest ever professional break of 153
Video credit: TNT Sports
Just when you think you’ve seen everything.
Neal Foulds and myself have watched more hours of snooker than we’d care to contemplate, but we were shaking with nerves in the TNT Sports commentary box as Ronnie O’Sullivan rolled in the last black for his historic 153 break at the World Open today.
The man himself looked like cool personified, but that’s what makes O’Sullivan the great he is. All players have the capacity to raise their standard, but nobody can raise the bar to as high a level as the seven times world champion. His ability to craft a break like this and control his emotions at the same time is what marks him out from the rest.
You would think he would be running out of achievements to tick off by now. After all, he turned professional 34 years ago and is now 50 years of age.
Yet earlier in the season, he made two maximum breaks in his semi-final victory over Chris Wakelin in the Saudi Arabia Masters and Friday’s "16-red" clearance is another remarkable entry into his personal pantheon.
For context, there had only been seven total clearances which began with a free ball in snooker history before today. Steve James made the first at the 1990 World Championship. O’Sullivan’s quarter-final opponent, Ryan Day, made one at the 2023 Tour Championship.
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WATCH IN FULL - Every pot from O'Sullivan's history-making break of 153
Video credit: TNT Sports
The only previous break above 147 was the 148 by Jamie Burnett on a rainy Saturday at Pontin’s, Prestatyn in the qualifiers for the 2004 UK Championship. This was in the era before streaming, so no footage exists. In fact, the referee, Alan Chamberlain, told me there was an official waiting outside the arena ready to upbraid him because they were convinced he had made a mistake in calling out the scores.
That’s how rare such feats are. This is a break which could conceivably stand for the rest of time. The maximum possible break is 155, although the extra golden ball in the Riyadh Championship has been deemed to be worth 20 points.
O’Sullivan was annoyed this week with observers describing him as ‘rusty’, explaining that even though he has sat several tournaments out, he has still been putting the work in.
This is undoubtedly true. For all his talent, he is a hard practiser, but tournament play is the true test and his performances this week propel him firmly into the mix at the World Championship, which will be underway in a month’s time at the Crucible.
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Unusually, given his propensity to underplay things, O’Sullivan has spoken openly about his desire to win an eighth world title and break the modern-day tie with Stephen Hendry.
Regardless of what happens for the rest of this weekend, he will go to Sheffield now with increased buzz around his chances, with the other players taking notice.
It creates another fascinating narrative as we head towards the game’s showpiece event. As it stands, O’Sullivan is seeded to play Neil Robertson in the second round, who wrote on X of his forthcoming opponent: "The best ever and the best there ever will be. Snooker fans I hope you’ve cherished him over the years in the joy he’s brought to millions over 4 decades."
That he can still inspire this wonder in a leading player such as Robertson is testament to O’Sullivan’s aura of greatness. Far from trading on former glories, he remains a current, potent threat to the other contenders for snooker’s greatest prize.
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'Still producing it at the age of 50!' - O'Sullivan makes third century against Day
Video credit: TNT Sports
Quite where this story ends is anyone’s guess, but as Robertson rightly says, snooker fans should enjoy it while they can.
When O’Sullivan was introduced today, he stood before a huge LED screen covered in photographs which have captured the greatest moments of his career.
They will have to make some room. He’s not done creating history yet.
He made the 153 just after 6am UK time. Bleary-eyed viewers watching live must have wondered if they were still dreaming.
But all these years into his career, Ronnie O’Sullivan still makes the apparently impossible a reality.
The World Open runs between March 16-22, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
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