Ronnie O'Sullivan recognises Lei Peifan World Championship threat after victory over Kyren Wilson - 'A handful for anyone'
Updated 20/04/2025 at 10:40 GMT+1
React to this story
Lei Peifan pulled off an upset win over Kyren Wilson to eliminate last year's world champion with an impressive 10-9 comeback victory at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield on Saturday night. Speaking to TNT Sports, Ronnie O'Sullivan said that the Chinese debutant could be a difficult match-up for any opponent he may face over the course of the tournament.
'A handful for anyone' - O'Sullivan, White and McManus hail Lei after Wilson upset
Video credit: TNT Sports
Ronnie O’Sullivan thinks Lei Pefian can be a "handful for anyone" after he beat Kyren Wilson on Saturday night at the World Snooker Championship.
Wilson was the latest victim of 'the Crucible Curse' as the 2024 champion suffered a painful defeat against the Chinese player.
Up 6-2, he then watched his opponent reel off seven consecutive frames before losing the decisive final frame for a 10-9 defeat.
O’Sullivan himself is making his return to competitive snooker after taking a break due to medical reasons since January. His next opponent will be Ali Carter on Tuesday, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
The former world No. 1 praised Peifan for his mentality, before confessing that when he played him at an earlier stage of their respective careers, he did not think a great deal of him.
"He's a very, very, very good match player, with a fantastic temperament," O'Sullivan said on TNT Sports.
- 'He loves a wind-up' - Williams capitalises on distracted referee to show 'wicked sense of humour'
- ‘When I see him, I’ll be telling him’ – Murphy claims Wilson didn’t have ‘bottle to call me out’
"I must say when he first came on the scene I played him a couple of times, I thought, 'This geezer can't play'.
"He's one of them you think he's going nowhere. His cue action was all under one thing, he was missing a lot of balls."
The 21-year-old made his debut in the 2019/20 season, and until this season, he had never got past the third round of a ranking tournament.
However, he won two amateur finals last year: the Asia Pacific Under-21 Championship, and the Asia Pacific Championship. More impressive still, he won the Scottish Open in 2024, and reached the fifth round of the Saudi Arabia Masters.
Continuing, O’Sullivan noted a change in him since that title win, and says he could be a match for anyone he meets in the rest of the competition in Sheffield.
He said: "He won [the Scottish open] and now every time you watch him play you think he's a handful for anyone."
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2025/04/19/image-66c625fa-eeb8-4684-9f1f-d86999239daa-85-2560-1440.jpeg)
Wilson played in too many tournaments this season - O'Sullivan
Video credit: TNT Sports
How to watch and stream the World Championship
The World Championship begins on Saturday, April 19, with the blockbuster best-of-35 frames final to be played across two days on Sunday, May 4 and Monday, May 5.
You can watch every day of the 2025 World Championship live on TV on TNT Sports, with all the action also available both live and on-demand on discovery+.
Related Topics
Advertisement
Advertisement