Ronnie O’Sullivan added to his extensive record collection by making the highest professional break in snooker. He achieved an incredible 153 at the World Open during his 5-0 victory over Ryan Day in Yushan, China.
New Highest Break
The 50-year-old bettered the previous record. That was a 148 set by Scotland’s Jamie Burnett at the UK Championship qualifiers in 2004.
O’Sullivan’s Other Records
O’Sullivan has seven world championship titles. Stephen Hendry also has seven.
The Chigwell cueman is the oldest Crucible champion. He beat Judd Trump in the 2022 final in Sheffield, aged 46 years and 148 days.
He also holds the record for the most consecutive Crucible appearances with 33. He has taken part in every tournament between 1993 and 2025.
O’Sullivan has also won the most UK Championship titles with eight and a record eight Masters crowns.
That all adds up to O’Sullivan holding the record for the most Triple Crown titles with 23. That’s the collection of the three most prestigious tournaments in snooker.
O’Sullivan remains unmatched when it comes to ranking titles. He has won 41, an impressive five more than Scotland’s Hendry.
The Englishman has won a record five Shanghai Masters titles. John Higgins has the most World Open titles with five.
Rivals Ding Junhui, Mark Selby and Judd Trump also share the record for the most International Championship crowns.
Records O’Sullivan Doesn’t Hold
One record that has proved to be elusive for O’Sullivan is the longest consecutive time spent as world number one.
Hendry holds that acclaim having spent 418 weeks at the top of the rankings under the old ranking system between April 1990 and May 1998. O’Sullivan’s best period was a 109-week spell.
Under the current rolling ranking system, which has been in operation since 2010, both Selby and Trump have spent longer as world number one.
Maximum Breaks and Centuries
No player has more maximum 147 breaks than O’Sullivan’s 17. His last came at the Saudi Arabia Masters in August 2025. He would have had even more had he not turned down the chance of a maximum at the Welsh Open in 2016 because the £10,000 prize money was “too cheap”.
O’Sullivan also holds the record for the fastest maximum. He took just five minutes and 20 seconds to rattle in a 147 at the Crucible in 1997.
Mark Davis, Jackson Page and O’Sullivan are the only players to make two maximums at the same professional event. The Rocket is the only one to hit both of his in the same session.
When it comes to centuries, no player comes close to O’Sullivan, who has a whopping 1,320. Trump is second on the all-time list with 1,139.
The fastest televised century belongs to Malta’s Tony Drago at three minutes and 31 seconds. O’Sullivan came close at the 2022 Scottish Open, recording a three-minute 34-second.
Ronnie O’Sullivan won his last Crucible title in 2022 and became the oldest champion in World Snooker Championship history in the process.