Ronnie O'Sullivan made his return to competitive snooker after a 103-day absence, taking a narrow 5-4 lead against Ali Carter at the World Snooker Championship - and admitted he is going to celebrate with a Chinese takeaway.
The 49-year-old's comeback marks his record-extending 33rd appearance at the Crucible Theatre.
The highly anticipated match between the two rivals began cordially, with O'Sullivan offering a handshake to Carter before the first frame, setting a different tone from their previous controversial encounters.
The contest remains delicately poised ahead of Wednesday afternoon's final session.
Ronnie O'Sullivan revealed his plans to celebrate his snooker return with a Chinese
PA
O'Sullivan dispelled concerns about his return to the big stage, admitting he felt "a bit better than I thought" despite his self-proclaimed poor form.
"I haven't played for a while and the reason why I did stop was because it was so bad, even in practice," O'Sullivan revealed.
The seven-time world champion acknowledged his ongoing struggles: "I have had four years of it to be honest with you, hitting the ball over the place."
"I thought if I could get a few frames over Ali, make it a little bit competitive, I would be happy with that," he added.
Despite early tension and edgy play, O'Sullivan demonstrated his enduring genius with a record-extending 208th Crucible century, scoring a break of 107 in frame four.
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Carter, who had won the opening frame, struggled with consistency and provided O'Sullivan with numerous opportunities at the table.
The world No.18 Carter, who recently revealed he had been suffering from severe neck pain, found himself trailing 5-2 as O'Sullivan established control of the match.
Carter showed remarkable resilience, winning the final two frames of the session to narrow the gap to 5-4.
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Ronnie O'Sullivan and Ali Carter met again to revive their rivalry
PA
The two-time world championship finalist produced an impressive century break of 107 in frame eight.
O'Sullivan's struggles became evident in the final frame, where he missed two long reds and committed a foul from a snooker position.
Carter capitalised on these errors, successfully clearing the colours to reduce his deficit to a single frame ahead of Wednesday's decisive session.
O'Sullivan maintained a relaxed approach when discussing his preparations for the final session.
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A Chinese takeaway awaits Ronnie O'Sullivan this evening after his return at the Crucible 🍽️#WorldChampionship pic.twitter.com/jfmtp5pAFQ
— TNT Sports (@tntsports) April 22, 2025
"No plan. Just go home, relax, get some food and go again tomorrow. Probably Chinese," the seven-time world champion said.
The match resumes on Wednesday afternoon with everything to play for, after Carter's late surge kept him firmly in contention.
The final frames of Tuesday's session could prove crucial in determining the ultimate outcome of this compelling contest.
