Ronnie O'Sullivan made a 153 break at the World Open in Yushan, China last Friday. The highest ever in professional competition. The previous record was 148, set by Jamie Burnett in 2004. Nobody had touched it in 22 years.

The classic maximum in snooker is 147. O'Sullivan got past it through a free ball. His opponent Ryan Day fouled and left the cue ball snookered on all the reds, which gave O'Sullivan the right to nominate another ball as a red. He potted a green as his extra red, then proceeded to clear the table. 16 reds, 13 blacks, two pinks, and all the colors. A theoretical 155 was on the table, but he played two pinks instead of blacks on tough positions. He won the match 5-0 and didn't seem to fully realize what he'd done until he looked at the scoreboard.

He is 50 years old. He holds the record for the fastest 147 ever (five minutes, eight seconds, at the 1997 World Championship). He made two 147s in the same match last year at the Saudi Arabia Masters. He has seven world titles. And he just did something nobody in professional competition has ever done. Whether you follow snooker or not, that is one of those moments that crosses the entire sport.

In his own words, “ {I’ve} never played this game for records, but days like today make me proud. Not just the score, but the moment, the focus and the feeling. At 50, I still don’t feel that I’ve mastered this game…I just borrow moments from it. That was one of them. There’s always another level…nice to touch it. Back to work.

🔗 Story. 🔗 Ronnie’s FB post thanking fans.

Also breaking this week from the snooker world: the World Snooker Championship will stay at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield until at least 2045, with an option to extend to 2050. A £45 million renovation will add up to 500 seats to the current 980-capacity venue. The tournament will temporarily relocate for one year during construction (likely 2029) before returning. This ends years of speculation about whether the event would leave its spiritual home. The 2026 World Championship begins April 18 with Zhao Xintong defending the title.

🔗 Full Story.

Germany's Tobias Bongers ran the 50-player main event at the Cuetec Belgium Open without dropping a match, going 6-0 to take the title and €7,000 first prize in Ostend. He came into the event on a streak, having won 14.1 gold at the Predator European Pool Championships days earlier. Felix Vogel (also Germany) finished runner-up through the one-loss side. Eklent Kaçi and Olivér Szolnoki shared third. Ralf Souquet made the quarterfinals at 58 years old.

The Belgium Open was a WNT ranking event with a €28,000 total purse, and part of a packed stretch on the World Nineball Tour that continues with Inthebx in New York starting Thursday, the McDermott Open in Connecticut, and the Players Championship by Diamond at the Super Billiards Expo in Philadelphia April 9-12.

🔗 Tournament Results 🔗 WNT Coverage

The Inthebx Open at Raxx Pool Room in West Hempstead is the next WNT ranking event. $32,400 in prize money and ranking points on the line. Players coming off Belgium will be managing energy and table time across a short turnaround. Watch the top seeds and the players who skipped Belgium and show up fresh.

We’ll be following all the action over the weekend and providing updates along the way. Be sure to follow all our socials to stay in the know.

🔗 Full Preview.

“On The Hill” newsletter is a proud publication coming out of San Antonio Texas. Here in south-central Texas, the Predator Arcadia CenTex Pool Tour tour draws some of the best players in Texas and the surrounding states.

The second stop of the 2026 season drew 87 players to Eddie's Tavern Embassy Oaks in San Antonio for a two-day, $1,500-added Open 9-Ball event. 2024 Tour Champion Lazaro Martinez III (Fargo 743) went undefeated through the winner's side and closed the finals with a 5-1 second set to take his first title of the 2026 season. Laz has previously won the 2025 PBS American Junior Showdown title and the Junior World All-Around Overall Championship.

Treniss Evans finished runner-up, and On The Hill-sponsored player Rudy Sanchez (Fargo 691) grinded through the one-loss side to finish 3rd. The tour heads to Betsy's Billiards in Austin on April 25-26.

🔗 Bracket results. 🔗 CenTex Tour. 🔗 Final Day Stream from Backwards Billiards.

The Predator BK Rush keeps adding to its colorway lineup and the demand is outpacing what most dealers can stock. The Purple and Flare Orange editions are both limited runs. The Purple/Gold version is a 2026 CSI Exclusive, produced specifically for CSI's distribution channel and not available through standard wholesale suppliers. That is why you see them on eBay or FB at $1,750 to $2,500 while your local dealer is sitting on a waitlist or simply cannot get them.

If you are in the market for one of these colorways, the secondary market is currently the only play. Standard Purple and Orange versions are available through select retailers while supplies last.

🔗 Break Cues

Bocote forearm and butt with five-point black inlay, crushed silver and Cocobolo ring detail, black snake print embossed leather wrap. Ships with the Zero Flexpoint Solid Core low deflection shaft and a Tiger Everest tip. Uni-Loc quick-release joint. One of the sharper looking cues in the Lucasi Custom lineup right now.

🔗 Link

Mar 27-29 — Inthebx Open. Raxx Pool Room, New York. (WNT Ranking, $32,400) 🔗 Link

Apr 9-12 — Players Championship by Diamond at Super Billiards Expo, Oaks, PA (WNT Ranking, $80,000) 🔗 Expo

Apr 15-19 — WPBA Island Casino Invitational, Harris, MI 🔗 WPBA Next Stop

Apr 18 - May 4 — World Snooker Championship, Crucible Theatre, Sheffield. 🔗 Snooker is cool too

Apr 25-26 — Predator Arcadia CenTex Pool Tour Stop 3, Betsy's Billiards, Austin, TX 🔗 centexpooltour.com

On The Hill is the weekly newsletter from Break Room Billiards. If you liked this issue, forward it to someone who plays. Subscribe at onthehill.news.

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