World Snooker Championship: Ronnie O'Sullivan leads Ryan Day in last 16
Seven-time champion Ronnie O'Sullivan opened a 5-3 lead as he made a strong start to his World Snooker Championship last-16 match against Wales' Ryan Day.
The 48-year-old Englishman is on course for an eighth Crucible title, which would move him clear of Stephen Hendry's mark of seven successes.
O'Sullivan, who thrashed Welsh qualifier Jackson Page 10-1 in the first round, made breaks of 123 and 84 in the opening two frames against Day, but the world number 18 rallied to take the next two.
Breaks of 83 and 51 helped O'Sullivan go 4-2 in front before Day responded with a 115, but O'Sullivan restored his two-frame advantage with a 92 in the last frame of the session.
Day, 44, is aiming to reach the quarter-finals for a fourth time, having lost in that round in 2008, 2009 and 2012.
He has played O'Sullivan here before - squandering a 9-7 lead to lose 13-10 in their last-16 tie in 2006.
"This place gives you lots of great memories and lots of scars," said Day on Wednesday. "That was certainly one of the scars. It's not physical on your skin, but it is lodged away somewhere deep in your mind."
Their match is the best of 25 frames, so first to 13, and will resume at 19:00 BST on Sunday before being completed on Monday from 14:30.
