Ryan Day v Ronnie O’Sullivan: Prediction, Tips, Odds and Start Time

Ronnie O’Sullivan looked in the groove as he swatted aside Jackson Page 10-1 in the first round of the World Championship and the Rocket will be eyeing another convincing victory against Ryan Day.

O’Sullivan didn’t need to be at his best to punish the inexperience of Page and Day will be hoping to offer more resistance following his 10-8 victory over Barry Hawkins in round one.

However, Day has not made the quarter-final of the World Championship since 2012 and he has a dreaded record to overcome against O’Sullivan, who should also be suited by the attacking brand of snooker that the Welshman deploys.

The Rocket is chasing a record-breaking eighth Crucible crown, which would move him one ahead of Stephen Hendry, while he is also bidding to win all three Triple Crown titles in a single season for the first time in his career.

If Day does land the upset, it will be only the fourth time in his career that he has made the quarter-final of the World Championship, although he has never been able to go further.

Ryan Day v Ronnie O’Sullivan betting tips and predictions

Ronnie O’Sullivan -6.5 frames on the handicap - 1/1

O’Sullivan is as short as 1/16 to book his place in the quarter-final at the Crucible for the fourth time in five years, and it is hard to see Day springing the upset.

The Rocket leads their personal series 6-2, although they haven’t met since 2020, and only one of their previous meetings has taken place at the World Championship.

That came back in 2006, with Ronnie prevailing 13-10 at this second-round stage of the tournament, but there are reasons to think he can win more comfortably this time around.

Day has done well to reach this stage of the tournament, having also had to come through qualifying, and he showed his dangers when edging past Hawkins 10-8 in the opening round.

The problem is that the Welshman favours an all-out attacking game and that sort of contest suits O’Sullivan, with any mistakes sure to be punished.

This is now a best-of-25 contest, with the longer format suiting O’Sullivan even more. And although the handicap is far from generous, it is still worth siding with.

If O’Sullivan wins 13-6 or better, the bet will be a winner and it is worth remembering that at this hurdle last year he was an emphatic 13-2 winner against Hossein Vafaei, prevailing with a session to spare.

Under 3.5 centuries - 4/5

With O’Sullivan fancied to run out a ready winner, going under 3.5 centuries may be the ploy to take despite the fact that these are two aggressive players.

Day’s victory over Hawkins, which lasted 18 frames, featured only two centuries and he may struggle to be at his fluent best given the pressure he is likely to be under throughout.

O’Sullivan’s 10-1 victory over Page featured two centuries, too, but only one from the Rocket, whose highest break was a 122.

So with the likelihood of only a maximum of 18 to 20 frames being played, it may be difficult to expect a barrage of big breaks, with Day surely going to feel the heat against the greatest that there has ever been.

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Ryan Day v Ronnie O’Sullivan odds

Ryan Day - 9/1
Ronnie O’Sullivan - 1/16

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Ryan Day v Ronnie O’Sullivan start time

This best-of-25 second-round match is played over three sessions, with the first session getting underway at 10:00 on Sunday 28th April.

The contest resumes with the second session at 19:00 on Sunday 28th April and concludes at 13:00 on Monday 29th April.

This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.