Ronnie O'Sullivan reaches a thousand matches in his career: how the snooker legend achieved this.

Ronnie O'Sullivan becomes a centurion in ranking tournaments

According to The Sun: Ronnie O'Sullivan has reached an important milestone in his career, becoming a centurion in ranking tournaments with a white cue.

At the Xi'an Grand Prix, O'Sullivan, who is 49 years old, achieved significant breaks of 107 and 112, defeating Ukrainian Yulian Boyko 5-0 in the first round.

Getty John Higgins currently holds the record for the most ranking matches played (1,164) Getty

This match was the thousandth for O'Sullivan in a ranking tournament. Only John Higgins (1,164) and Mark Williams (1,075) — both from 'Class of 92' — surpass him.

O'Sullivan noted: “It’s just amazing. How many years have we been in professional sports? Thirteen years? But we also knew each other from our youth.”

He added: “I have been playing against Mark Williams since I was ten – that's 40 years now, even in junior and amateur competitions.”

“This is really a great milestone. Congratulations to Mark and John on their achievements.”

Although O'Sullivan won 5-0, he noted that the game was far from easy, and Boyko could have won two or three frames. “I haven’t played for two months, so I felt a bit uncomfortable during a serious match,” he said.

“I’m just happy to have won one match here. If I can win two, I’ll be very happy.”

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At the tournament, there have already been two 'maximum' breaks: the first, world number one Judd Trump, achieved this in the fifth frame of his 5-2 victory over On-yi Ng. A few hours later, Irishman Aaron Hill also accomplished this moment against Juan Qiahao.

O'Sullivan pointed out that the standard of play has significantly increased lately, and many players are showing impressive results.

“I think the reason for my 147 is the prize of £197,000, which is worth fighting for,” he added, laughing.

O'Sullivan continues to show high results and maintains his status in cue sports. His achievements become even more significant against the backdrop of the increasing level of competition. As he confidently moves forward, fans await new victories and incredible moments from one of the greatest players in the history of snooker.