Facing Ryan Day in the quarter-finals of the World Open, O'Sullivan hit a 153 break to seal the opening frame, adding another achievement to an illustrious career. 

O'Sullivan went on to win the match 5-0, but all the talk will be about history being made in the first frame. 

Here is how O'Sullivan made snooker history in Yushan, China. 

How did O'Sullivan score snooker's highest ever break

In snooker, the maximum break is 147, consisting of 15 reds, 15 blacks, and all the colours, but a higher break can be achieved if it starts with a free ball. 

A free ball is called when a player is snookered on all the reds remaining following a foul by the opponent, so a colour can be nominated as a red before potting and starting the break as normal. 

This is the situation O'Sullivan found himself in after Day committed a foul. 

O'Sullivan began the break by potting the green as a free ball before potting the black. He then went on to pot 14 reds, 13 blacks and two pinks before potting all the colours to make history and score 153. 

This is not the first impressive feat from O'Sullivan this season. In the final of last year's Saudi Arabia Masters, he made two 147 breaks in a 10-9 loss to Neil Robertson.

O'Sullivan reacts to historic 153 break

In a video posted on X, O'Sullivan thanked fans for all the messages following his 153 break. 

"I just want to say a big shout out to all the people who have been messaging me, congratulating me on the 153," O'Sullivan said. 

"It was a pretty cool moment, really happy to do it. Thank you to everyone out there who is supporting me. Keep enjoying the snooker in Yushan."

When is O'Sullivan's next snooker match? 

After clean sweeping Day 5-0, O'Sullivan will face China's Wu Yize in the semi-finals of the World Open. 

The match will take place on Saturday, March 21, and it will begin at 6am GMT. 

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