Zhao Xintong Defeats Ronnie O'Sullivan Amid Chaos at Crucible

The World Snooker Championship semi-final between Ronnie O'Sullivan and Zhao Xintong was marked by an unusual incident when a pocket broke during play, causing balls to scatter across the Crucible floor. The mishap, which occurred in the final frame of the session, did not faze Zhao, who completed his break and leveled the match at 4-4 despite the disruption. Commentators and fans expressed surprise at the rare occurrence, with pundits and presenters noting they had never seen such a pocket failure before. The session highlighted further struggles for O'Sullivan, who later changed his cue tip but was subsequently whitewashed 8-0 by Zhao in the next session, falling to a 12-4 deficit. Zhao's dominant performance drew praise from commentators, with some calling it a potential 'changing of the guard' in the sport. O'Sullivan, a seven-time champion, was left frustrated as Zhao moved closer to a place in the final.