“It’s hard to be Iranian”
Sensation at the Crucible Theater – Outsider beats Trump
04/28/2026 – 01:52 amReading time: 2 minutes
Snooker icon O’Sullivan failed in the round of 16 in his hunt for his eighth World Cup title. Other big names are also eliminated.
Snooker icon Ronnie O’Sullivan was eliminated in the round of 16 of the World Championships after an epic clash full of dramatic twists and turns. The 50-year-old lost to four-time world champion John Higgins from Scotland in the “Deciding Frame” 12:13 on Monday. The Englishman O’Sullivan, who had a clear lead of 6:2 and 9:4, was hunting for his eighth World Cup title at the Crucible Theater in Sheffield.
“John played well and deserved to win. If he keeps playing like this, he has a good chance of winning the championship,” admitted O’Sullivan fairly at the BBC microphone. Regarding his own future in snooker, “The Rocket” explained: “I feel like I’m enjoying the game and I’m playing better this month than in recent years, but I just missed too many balls. There was pressure and I got very tense, maybe because I haven’t played matches like that in a while.”
Hossein Vafaei caused a stir late on Monday evening. The Iranian also dramatically defeated world number one Judd Trump from England 13:12. For the 31-year-old Vafaei it is a highly successful but personally difficult tournament; his thoughts are back home. “It’s very difficult to be Iranian right now,” said Vafaei before comparing him to Trump: “It’s like carrying ten people on your shoulders. That’s very difficult.”
In addition to O’Sullivan and Trump, 2019 world champion, Mark Selby also missed out on a place in the quarter-finals. The four-time world champion from England lost to world number ten Wu Yize 11:13. The Chinese now have to face Vafaei in the round of the last eight. Yize’s compatriot Zhao Xintong is also in the quarter-finals, where the defending champion has to compete against world number eight Shaun Murphy (England).
