Ronnie O’Sullivan v Gary Wilson LIVE: Snooker World Grand Prix result and reaction from quarter-final

Ronnie O’Sullivan coasted into the semi-finals of the World Grand Prix in Leicester with a 5-1 win over Gary Wilson.

Following a controversial eighth Masters triumph over Ali Carter in the final of the 2024 edition at Alexandra Palace last weekend, O’Sullivan has continued to question his snooker future, admitting he no longer gets enjoyment from the way he is playing.

However, the 48-year-old, set to take a break of a couple of months following the end of the tournament, showed no lack of sharpness as he recovered from losing the opening frame to move 3-1 ahead with a clearance of 129 either side of two half-centuries.

Wilson, the reigning Scottish Open champion, fell further behind after his break finished on 52, allowing O’Sullivan back to the table to secure the snooker needed before going on to clear the colours. O’Sullivan swiftly completed a comfortable win with another break of 58 in the sixth frame.

Amid his progress at the World Grand Prix, ‘The Rocket’ is engaged in an ongoing war of words with Carter, who accused his 48-year-old rival of snotting on the Ally Pally arena floor during the Masters final, with O’Sullivan hitting back in an extraordinary rant, calling his opponent “a f****** nightmare” before urging him to “sort his f****** life out” and “see a counsellor. Relive all the action from the World Grand Prix below:

Ronnie O’Sullivan v Gary Wilson - live updates

• Ronnie O’Sullivan competes at the World Grand Prix in Leicester

• O’Sullivan beats world No 17 Gary Wilson 5-1 in the quarter-finals

• The Rocket has been in a war of words with Ali Carter since beating him in the Masters final last weekend

• He threatened to retire after beating Zhou Yuelong in the second round on Thursday

• Final score: Ronnie O’Sullivan 5-1 Gary Wilson

Ronnie O’Sullivan 5-1 Gary Wilson

14:55 , Luke Baker

All fairly easy in the end for Ronnie O’Sullivan. He’ll face Ding Junhui or Zhang Anda in the semi-finals tomorrow. Ding is currently 3-1 up on Zhang over on table two. Ronnie and Ding play almost every week it seems and O’Sullivan always wins

Judd Trump will face Cao Yupeng in the other semi-final this evening. A Trump v O’Sullivan final would certainly be tasty.

FRAME AND MATCH! Ronnie O’Sullivan 5-1 Gary Wilson

14:49 , Luke Baker

O’Sullivan gets over the line as he polishes things off with a break of 58. This has been a pretty ruthless performance from The Rocket and he cruises through. I’m sure he’ll be unhappy with his game when he gives post-match reaction but that was a fairly comfortable win and solid enough performance.

RONNIE O’SULLIVAN BEATS GARY WILSON 5-1 TO REACH THE WORLD GRAND PRIX SEMI-FINALS

The players have a bit of a chat at the handshake (or fist bump) at the end.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 4-1 Gary Wilson

14:46 , Luke Baker

O’Sullivan pots another red with a blue to follow but an attempted split of the remaining cluster of reds in the middle of the table goes wrong. So he fails to kill the match off. A good safety shot to leave Wilson snookered though.

And it pays dividends as Wilson sees the cueball fly into the pocket off his next safety shot to put O’Sullivan back in and he’ll finish things off from here.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 4-1 Gary Wilson

14:44 , Luke Baker

A rare error from O’Sullivan as he runs out of position after reaching 54. No colour available so the break ends there. He tries to roll into the pink from short-range but leaves it short on the first try. Gets it with his second go, so the lead is 54-6 with seven reds left on the table.

A reprieve for Wilson to still be in this match.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 4-1 Gary Wilson

14:42 , Luke Baker

A really nice split of the pack from O’Sullivan as he thunders into the bunch after potting the black. This is a match-winning chance for real now. He picks off reds with mostly blacks to build his lead up beyond 50 points.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 4-1 Gary Wilson

14:40 , Luke Baker

Wilson goes for a long pot to left corner, misses it by a long way and leaves O’Sullivan nicely on a red to the right corner to get going. The Rocket will want to get this match over and done with right here.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 4-1 Gary Wilson

14:39 , Luke Baker

Wilson on the brink now – he has to win the remaining four frames to avoid defeat. Losing from the position of O’Sullivan needing a snooker in that last frame will have been a gut punch.

FRAME! Ronnie O’Sullivan 4-1 Gary Wilson

14:37 , Luke Baker

Wilson hits the yellow but can’t get it safe and O’Sullivan makes the pot to left middle. He’s able to force the white round the angle to get on the green. From there the clearance is routine and O’Sullivan pinches the frame by a few points.

That’s gutting for Wilson and you feel his chances in this match may be over now. RONNIE O’SULLIVAN WINS FRAME FIVE AND IS ONE FROM VICTORY AT 4-1!

Ronnie O’Sullivan 3-1 Gary Wilson

14:35 , Luke Baker

O’Sullivan clears up two reds with colours and then goes about setting a snooker for Wilson. It’s a decent one, red going up the table and cueball in behind the black. Wilson misses it! That’s the four penalty points O’Sullivan needs to make the frame winnable again. Wilson can’t believe he’s missed that.

O’Sullivan pots red and blue but can’t get on the yellow. So a granite safety instead. He’s 55-30 behind but probably the new favourite for this frame with Wilson in trouble

Ronnie O’Sullivan 3-1 Gary Wilson

14:32 , Luke Baker

Good effort by Wilson to keep the break going when he overruns the cueball as he powers in a red and forces the white up to the baulk end to pot a yellow.

He then pots a red along the cushion and takes the black to right middle to move 52 points ahead with 51 remaining. There’s no chance to pot one of the remaining reds, so O’Sullivan will come back to the table needing one snooker

Ronnie O’Sullivan 3-1 Gary Wilson

14:26 , Luke Baker

A third red and, for a third time, no colour to follow for Wilson but this time he puts O’Sullivan bang under pressure behind the brown. Brilliant escape though, coming off multiple cushions to roll on to a red.

But Wilson finally forces a good scoring chance with some more good safety, before clipping a mid-range red into the left corner to get going.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 3-1 Gary Wilson

14:23 , Luke Baker

Wilson rolls a red in dead-weight and the cueball looks like it’s going to drop in the corner pocket but juuust stops short, hanging over the edge. It means he’s not on a colour though.

He pots another red a couple of shots later and again doesn’t land on a colour but O’Sullivan then gets a fluke, a red flicking into the pocket off another red as he plays a safety.

The break ends after potting the next yellow though, so a 3-2 lead for The Rocket in the early stages of this frame

Ronnie O’Sullivan 3-1 Gary Wilson

14:20 , Luke Baker

Mid-session interval over and we’re back underway, Ronnie O’Sullivan is just two frames away from a semi-final place.

FRAME! Ronnie O’Sullivan 3-1 Gary Wilson

14:02 , Luke Baker

O’Sullivan rattling along and reaches 48 but an attempted cannon goes slightly wrong. No matter, he pulls out a thin cut on the red to the left corner to keep the break going.

Frame ball comes shortly after and he pots the red to right middle to leave Wilson needing snookers. This could be another century for The Rocket but even if not, he’ll go into a 3-1 lead.

It’s not as he misses a red but still a break of 78 and O’SULLIVAN LEADS 3-1 AT THE MID-SESSION INTERVAL!

Ronnie O’Sullivan 2-1 Gary Wilson

14:00 , Luke Baker

A bit of bad luck for Wilson early in frame four. As he cuts a thin pink into the left middle, the cueball cannons into another red and knocks it into the left corner, causing a six-point penalty. His face shows the frustration.

It leaves O’Sullivan plum in the balls and he’ll try to punish Wilson now.

FRAME! Ronnie O’Sullivan 2-1 Gary Wilson

13:52 , Luke Baker

The colours are all on their spots, so it’s a simple end to the total clearance but overall, it’s a break of stunning quality. A run of 136 to retake the lead - sublime.

RONNIE O’SULLIVAN RETAKES THE LEAD BY WINNING FRAME THREE

CENTURY! Ronnie O’Sullivan 1-1 Gary Wilson

13:50 , Luke Baker

Fluent, rapid play now from O’Sullivan. He’s averaging 15 seconds per shot, which is frankly ludicrously fast. He’s sweeping around the table and doesn’t look like missing. He leaves Wilson needing snookers with five reds remaining.

A century break looks almost inevitable here. Ten blacks and that really long yellow for his first 11 reds but then he takes a couple of pinks before reaching 100 with a blue to right middle with one red remaining. Ton up! A great break

Ronnie O’Sullivan 1-1 Gary Wilson

13:47 , Luke Baker

O’Sullivan crunches in a long, straight red to start frame three. He’s now five for five on long pots, which is ominous for Wilson. He started to get his cueball control back towards its almost mythological normal level in that second frame.

He gets a bit of a kick early in the break but pulls out a fantastic long yellow - superb effort to keep the run going. When he reaches 36 he plays a gorgeous cannon into the pack of reds after potting the black, freeing them nicely and setting himself up for a frame-winning opportunity.

FRAME! Ronnie O’Sullivan 1-1 Gary Wilson

13:43 , Luke Baker

No mistakes from O’Sullivan this time as he ruthlessly capitalised on the piece of luck to cruise to victory in frame two. Gets his cue-arm going to race past the snookers-required stage and then pulls out an exhibition pot of a long red down the cushion to the green pocket!

Sadly there are not quite enough points to make a century and the break ends at the yellow but a 68 was exactly what he needed – quickly back on level terms at 1-1.

RONNIE O’SULLIVAN WINS FRAME TWO!

Ronnie O’Sullivan 0-1 Gary Wilson

13:40 , Luke Baker

A stunning three-cushion escape from O’Sullivan when Wilson tucks him in behind the yellow. Lands dead-weight on the target red and doesn’t leave a pot on.

Shortly after, O’Sullivan flukes a red to the left corner - a three-ball plant when trying to play safe! Wilson looks to the heavens in frustration and O’Sullivan offers a hand of apology but it’s given him a great chance to kill off this frame with another break.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 0-1 Gary Wilson

13:36 , Luke Baker

Frame two up and running. Can Wilson double his lead? He’s agonisingly close to an opening red but it rattles both jaws and stays out. O’Sullivan now in with the first chance. He couldn’t quite get going in that first frame, with lots of chances missed.

He’s playing noticeably more quickly, even by his standards now but the break is hard work. He overruns the cueball and is left with a tricky thin cut on the black but makes it. Then forced to go up to baulk to pot the yellow as the only way of maintaining position.

Eventually his luck runs out. He way overcuts a red to the right corner and swing his cue in the air in frustration. He starts chuntering to himself in his chair. HE gets 30 points on the board but he wanted more there

FRAME! Ronnie O’Sullivan 0-1 Gary Wilson

13:29 , Luke Baker

Yellow to pink causing no problems and he leads 60-57 with just the black left! He tries to push the black over the corner with a cannon after potting the pink. WHAT A SHOT! He plays it perfectly and rolls the black right over the hole.

A simple pot to pinch it 67-57 with a lovely clearance. The ideal start for the underdog in this race to five frames.

GARY WILSON WINS THE OPENING FRAME!

Ronnie O’Sullivan 0-0 Gary Wilson

13:27 , Luke Baker

The remaining reds are situated a bit trickily and O’Sullivan again becomes a cropper with a red along the bottom cushion, clipping the cushion before the pocket and it rattling out. He moves to 57 points but Wilson on 23 with three reds left.

A couple of nice shots to clear two reds, a good pink to left middle and then he lands perfectly on the red just above the middle pocket to roll it in. Pots the green to narrow the deficit to 57-40 with the six colours remaining. He’ll need them all to pinch the frame and the black is tied up on the right cushion. A thrilling end to the frame upcoming.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 0-0 Gary Wilson

13:23 , Luke Baker

Smooth stuff from O’Sullivan but he leaves a pot to the right corner with the rest and misses it. A bit of a scrappy frame so far. O’Sullivan leads 46-16 but it’s another chance for Wilson here with plenty of reds left to win it.

Oh dear! But now Wilson misses a red down the cushion with the rest after only seven more points. Really, really scrappy stuff

Ronnie O’Sullivan 0-0 Gary Wilson

13:20 , Luke Baker

Only 13 made by O’Sullivan before he runs out of position. He leads 26-9 but that lead is immaterial in the grand scheme of the frame if Wilson gets in next.

And he does indeed. Superb safety by the man from the northeast earns him a chance and he gets going with a nice red. But awkward bridging to pot a red brings the break to a premature end as it misses to the right corner. Opportunity wasted really as he only took his score to 16 points and now O’Sullivan is back at the table.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 0-0 Gary Wilson

13:15 , Luke Baker

Nice long pot by Gary Wilson, cutting a red into the left corner but there’s no colour available, so just the roll-up behind the brown. O’Sullivan’s roll-up into the pack of reds leaves a pot to the right corner but Wilson rattles the jaws with a tough pot with the rest.

A safety battle ensues as both players wait for the next chance. O’Sullivan has been playing incredibly attacking snooker this week, not bothering with much safety but he knuckles down here. He’s a world-class safety player when he’s engaged and he seems switched on today.

Eventually O’Sullivan wins it and has a pot to right middle. Superb pot and he’s in with another scoring chance in this opening frame.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 0-0 Gary Wilson

13:07 , Luke Baker

Gary Wilson breaks off before Ronnie O’Sullivan immediately pots the opening red to the right corner as it struggles in off both jaws.

Despite his post-match protestations, O’Sullivan played sublimely yesterday. He faces a testing mid-range red early in the break and gets it to the right corner but the cannon to land on the black goes wrong.

He’ll have to just play safe with the break on 13 and comes off a cushion to try and play the green. Misses it a couple of times before a good hit, so the score is 13-8 in the early going.

Ronnie O’Sullivan v Gary Wilson

13:04 , Luke Baker

We’re about to get underway in Leicester. Ronnie O’Sullivan has a 3-1 head-to-head record over Gary Wilson, although Wilson did win 4-3 when they last met at the 2022 Scottish Open.

Wilson went on to win that tournament and retained the title just before Christmas. When he’s confident, he can beat anyone in the world.

Fans queue round the block for tickets to see Ronnie O’Sullivan

12:56 , Luke Baker

Fair to say Ronnie O’Sullivan is always a big draw, whenever he competes!

Saudi Arabia snooker event to feature 20-point golden ball and possible 167 break

12:50 , Luke Baker

Saudi Arabia will host its first televised World Snooker Tour event with a twist: the addition of a 20-point golden ball to provide players with the opportunity to complete a 167 break.

Games will follow existing rules, but there will be a 23rd ball, known as the “Riyadh Season ball”, for those on a maximum break, to enhance the 147 total.

Details over whether the ball will be available on the table throughout the game, or if it will be introduced after a 147 break, are unclear.

Moreover, there was no clarity over whether a penalty would be applied for hitting it too early.

The event will include seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, who has made headlines with his recent feud with Ali Carter, 2019 winner Judd Trump and current champion Luca Brecel across three days from 4-6 March.

Saudi Arabia snooker event to feature 20-point golden ball and possible 167 break

Stephen Hendry discusses Ronnie O’Sullivan’s chances of winning the World Championship

12:45 , Luke Baker

Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry has been talking on the WST podcast about Ronnie O’Sullivan’s chances of completing the grand slam this season by winning the World Championship in addition to the Masters and UK Championship.

Mark Selby ends chances of an Ali Carter-Ronnie O’Sullivan rematch in Leicester

12:40 , Luke Baker

Ali Carter will not have a grudge match with Ronnie O’Sullivan at the World Grand Prix this week after he exited to Mark Selby.

O’Sullivan and Carter have been embroiled in an ugly war of words following the former’s victory in the Masters final on Sunday, with both players saying the other had issues with their mental health.

They are both playing in Leicester this week and were on course to meet in another final, but Carter lost a final-frame decider to Selby, going down 4-3 in the last 16.

Carter looked to have the momentum going into the decider as he levelled at 3-3 with a break of 103.

But Selby delivered when it mattered, advancing to the quarter-finals in his hometown with a well-made 77.

Mark Selby ends chances of an Ali Carter-Ronnie O’Sullivan rematch in Leicester

Ronnie O’Sullivan launches extraordinary, foul-mouthed rant against Ali Carter

12:35 , Luke Baker

Ronnie O’Sullivan launched into a remarkable, expletive-laden rant against Ali Carter as the pair reignited their rivalry following the Masters final.

The Rocket claimed his eighth title on Sunday, battling back from 3-6 down at Alexandra Palace to claim a thrilling 10-7 victory and become the oldest winner in the tournament’s history. However, the pair have now begun a war of words following the final, re-opening old wounds following their notorious bust-up at the 2018 World Championship when both players barged into each other.

Carter, who labelled the Alexandra Palace crowd as “morons” for their behaviour, also accused O’Sullivan of snotting on the floor during the final.

But O’Sullivan has now hit back, telling Carter he needs to “sort his f*****g life out” in an extraordinary rant.

“I’m not going to skirt around it anymore, tip-toeing on eggshells around someone like that. He’s a f*****g nightmare,” the 48-year-old continued. “Playing snooker against someone like that is a nightmare. He’s not a nice person. It’s not a nice vibe he leaves around the table. I’ve said my piece, I don’t give a s***. I’ve said it now, done.

“You know what he’s like, everybody knows what he’s like. He’s got issues. F*****g why has he got issues with me? I’m not having it. I don’t care, grow some balls.

“I don’t give a f***, I don’t give a f*** about any of these snooker players, any of them. The more he brings it on, the more I f***ing punish him every time. He’s just digging a grave for himself. I don’t give a f***. That’s it, I’ve said my piece.”

Ronnie O’Sullivan launches extraordinary, foul-mouthed rant against Ali Carter

Ronnie O’Sullivan regrets ‘stupid’ comments after winning Masters

12:30 , Luke Baker

Ronnie O’Sullivan has rowed back on comments suggesting that the chance to win eight titles at each Triple Crown event was a major motivator, insisting that he has “no interest in numbers”.

O’Sullivan’s Masters win on Sunday was his eighth at the event, which is also his tally at the UK Championship after his December victory in York. Wins in the first two Triple Crown events of the season sets up a tilt at the World Championship in the spring to complete a single-season sweep of snooker’s most prestigious tournaments for the first time in the 48-year-old’s career.

O’Sullivan has secured seven world titles to date and suggested at the start of the Masters that the chance to have eight of each prize was driving him.

“It was nice when I had seven, seven, seven, and now I’ve got seven, seven, eight. So it’d be nice to go eight, eight, eight – the three eights,” O’Sullivan said to Eurosport last week. “I suppose that’s the sort of motivational thing to try and get another Masters, try and maybe get another Worlds.”

But after beating Ali Carter in Sunday’s final at Alexandra Palace, O’Sullivan suggested he regretted voicing that desire, claiming that it didn’t matter to him.

“I wish I hadn’t mentioned that stupid eight, eight, eight,” O’Sullivan said after a 10-7 win. “I am not even interested in it, but sometimes you feel you have got to say something. Really I have no interest in numbers.”

Ronnie O’Sullivan regrets ‘stupid’ comments after winning Masters

Ronnie O’Sullivan threatens retirement again after latest World Grand Prix win

12:25 , Luke Baker

Ronnie O’Sullivan has once again questioned his snooker future after squeezing into the quarter-finals of the World Grand Prix in Leicester with a 4-3 win over Zhou Yuelong.

Just four days after his controversial eighth Masters triumph over Ali Carter, O’Sullivan said he was getting no enjoyment from continuing to move through tournaments with comparative ease.

O’Sullivan told ITV4: “I’ve got to really consider whether I can carry on feeling how I’m feeling out there – I just don’t get any enjoyment from the way I’m hitting the ball.

“I feel like it’s just hard work, I haven’t a clue where the balls are going, and a lot of it’s just guesswork.

“The worst thing is you’re winning bloody tournaments as well. If I was getting pumped every round playing like that it would be an easy decision to make.”

Ronnie O’Sullivan threatens retirement again after latest World Grand Prix win

Ronnie O’Sullivan v Gary Wilson

12:24 , Luke Baker

Welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of Ronnie O’Sullivan v Gary Wilson at snooker’s World Grand Prix in Leicester, with a place in the quarter-finals up for grabs.

O’Sullivan will drag his attention away from the ongoing war of words with Ali Carter, who he beat in the Masters final last weekend, to return to the baize against Wilson.

The Rocket has already bemoaned the fact he didn’t pull out of this tournament and threatened to retire after beating Zhou Yuelong in the second rounf yesterday but will at least try to win back-to-back events now he’s here.

Stick with us for full live coverage.