O'Sullivan 'Had Flight Booked Home' Before Sensational Higgins Victory at Crucible

Ronnie O'Sullivan has revealed that he had already booked a flight home from Sheffield before staging one of the greatest comebacks in World Snooker Championship history to defeat Mark Higgins in a classic Crucible encounter. The seven-time champion looked certain to suffer a shock first-round exit when he trailed Higgins 11-5, prompting him to arrange an early departure from the tournament.

The dramatic turnaround began when O'Sullivan won six consecutive frames to level the match at 12-12, sending the capacity crowd into raptures. Higgins had been clinical throughout the opening sessions, with breaks of 127, 98, and 94 putting him in complete command. However, O'Sullivan's class eventually told as he found his groove, compiling breaks of 83, 71, and 64 in his stunning recovery.

"Honestly, I thought I was done. I'd looked at the flights and there was one leaving at 6pm on Thursday that I had in my basket," O'Sullivan admitted in his post-match press conference. "I was basically packing up mentally and thinking about my next few weeks. Mark was playing brilliantly, and I couldn't buy a frame. But something clicked in that second session – I just decided to play without fear and see what happened."

The deciding frame was a tense affair, with both players missing opportunities under enormous pressure. Higgins had three chances to clinch the match but failed to convert any of them, while O'Sullivan showed his championship mettle by compiling a match-winning 67 break when it mattered most.

Higgins, who had been seeking his first win over O'Sullivan in over a decade, was left heartbroken by the result. "I had the chances. You can't give Ronnie those opportunities and expect to win," he said. "He's shown tonight why he's the greatest of all time. I played well enough to win, but he deserved to win because he never stopped fighting."

O'Sullivan's reward is a second-round meeting with either Judd Trump or Lyu Haotian, though he insisted his immediate focus was on savoring the victory rather than looking ahead. "This could be my last win here for all I know. I'm just going to enjoy it tonight and deal with what comes next tomorrow. You never know what can happen at the Crucible – I nearly found out today."