Ali Carter and Ronnie O’Sullivan will add another chapter to their long-running rivalry when they clash in the 2025 World Snooker Championship on Tuesday.
The Captain emerged through the qualifying phase for this year’s edition in Sheffield and was rewarded with a first-round tie against his old nemesis.
When asked on Judgement Day about the prospect of facing O’Sullivan again, the 45 year-old simply replied with “no comment really”.
But as it turned out, their names were paired together when the World Snooker Championship draw for the venue stages was conducted last Thursday.
Carter and O’Sullivan regularly practiced together years ago, but they have grown apart amid several headline bust-ups.
The Rocket beat his fellow Englishman in the finals of both the 2008 and 2012 World Championships.
Yet their most infamous showdown at the Crucible Theatre transpired six years later when they crossed paths in the second round of the 2018 tournament.
In one of the most iconic grudge matches of O’Sullivan’s career in Sheffield, the pair came to verbal and even physical blows during a heated final session.
For once, Carter gained the upper hand on his esteemed opponent during a fiery battle that most remember for a petty shoulder barge.
The six-time ranking event winner recalled the tempestuous episode when appearing as a guest on the Stephen Hendry Cue Tips channel on YouTube earlier this season.
“We used to practice together loads when I was 16 or 17,” Ali Carter recalled. “I was just turning pro, and he used to come over to Witham.”
“He played there every day for quite a few months as far as I can remember, and we were practicing together.
“Around that time, I made my [first] run and got to the semis of the Grand Prix and then won the Benson & Hedges Championships, so it obviously helped me massively.
“I think the more competitive I got, the more the relationship sort of…not went wrong, because that’s not the right word. It’s difficult to describe.
“But when all of a sudden we’re competitors, I’d find times where he wouldn’t say hello.
“To be fair, I don’t know too much about him. You know, I say what I see. I hold no malice now really – I’m not around him enough for him to feature in my life.
“Obviously we know he’s a great snooker player and all that, but as regards to everything else, I couldn’t tell you. I let people make their own minds up.
“But as we’ve chatted, whatever you say, the staunch Ronnie fans will always slaughter you, so I choose to keep my mouth shut.
“What happened [in 2018] was, first we touched shoulders before the second incident.
“We’re sitting here at the Crucible, and it’s so tight, and I became aware at the first one that he was walking back – but there is plenty of room [to walk by each other] – but I was aware that we touched shoulders on the way past.
“I was thinking, ‘what? does he want me to go like this or like that?’ But I was aware that there was no giving way.
“Then for the second time, I thought no. And then he’s gone and he’s given it that to me. I just thought, ‘oh what’s going on here?’
“But I think the score was 10-9 or 11-9, or something. He was sitting in the chair and the referee said to calm down, blah, blah, blah.
“I did play a bit of a game. I thought, I’m not going to let him have the last word. So I just said, ‘thank you’.
“So he went, ‘oh yeah, I’ll give you one back.’ And I said thanks for that. And he’s like, ‘I’m as cool as a cucumber.’
“He looked like he wanted to kill me at the time, he looked absolutely raging.”
The pair subsequently became embroiled in a war of words in the aftermath of last year’s Masters final that O’Sullivan won 10-7.
Carter accused O’Sullivan of unprofessional behavior during the match, alleging that he was “snotting all over the floor” and labelling his behaviour as “outrageous”.
O’Sullivan then provided an expletive-laden response in the post-final press conference, stating: “He’s not a nice person. It’s not a nice vibe he leaves around the table.”
The seven-time world champion has since tried to play down any ongoing animosity between the pair.
“It was probably just heat of the moment stuff at the time,” Ronnie O’Sullivan said of the Masters incident.
“I’ve always said that I wished I wouldn’t have said what I said, but I can’t take it back. It’s kind of out in the open. Neither of us really think much about it.”
Whether or not there will be fireworks again remains to be seen, but history tells us that any O’Sullivan versus Carter showdown is not to be missed.
Ronnie O’Sullivan plays Ali Carter in the last 32 of the 2025 World Snooker Championship on Tuesday at 2:30pm and Wednesday at 2:30pm UTC+1.
Featured photo credit: WST
