Ronnie O'Sullivan doubles down on retirement verdict after winning latest Crucible match

Ronnie O'Sullivan has further suggested that he might carry on playing snooker for another two years, despite on his current form. As he aims for another title, relentless charge continued as he dispatched Chinese talent Pang Junxu, 13-4, setting up a quarter-final bout with Si Jiahui.

The superstar, 49, decided to take a sabbatical from the table earlier in the season, opting out of his Masters title defence back in January. Post victory against Pang, the seven-time World Champion acknowledged his dissatisfaction with his play but emphasised his .

"Like I said I'm playing the long game," he told . "So whatever happens here it's not going to make any difference to how I approach the next two years. It's just the little breakthroughs I'm looking for."

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O'Sullivan stormed into a commanding 12-4 lead after two sessions, firing 11 breaks over 50, including two stunning centuries of 105 and 135.

Returning for the third session on Monday evening needing one more frame, he ruthlessly wrapped up the match in under 17 minutes, setting up a last-eight clash with Si, in what will be O'Sullivan's 23rd Crucible quarter-final.

With a rash of top contenders like Mark Selby, Kyren Wilson, Neil Robertson, and Mark Allen now ousted from O'Sullivan's half of the draw, speculation is rife that his road to the final is wide open, reports .

Should he triumph over Si, O'Sullivan could then meet either unseeded Chris Wakelin or Zhao Xintong, the ex-UK champion back from a 20-month ban, in the semi-final. Yet, O'Sullivan was quick to dismiss any notion of an easy path to victory.

"Not really. I mean I've played this so many times and the draw opens up and you get beat," he said. "That one loses, that one wins. The guy that wins it is usually the guy that deserves to win it. So, it doesn't really matter what happens to the draw."

While speaking with the during the event, O'Sullivan revealed he might stick around in snooker possibly until 2029, but he also expressed concern about his nerve, which has him on edge despite chasing a historic eighth Crucible crown.

"I've enjoyed the little bit of time off that I had," he said, alluding to his recent break. "I still don't feel great about playing, not that I don't love the game because I do. It's just that I have felt technically, executing a shot-wise, I have never felt like this since I started playing when I was eight.

"It has kind of scared me a bit if I am to be truthful, maybe it has caused me to lose my nerve and my bottle to want to go out there and play. It has been a difficult time to be honest.

"I've had it in my head that I would love to play for at least another two years, possibly three, possibly four if I could really push the envelope as far as I could go. At some point I knew I was going to have to try and come back to playing."

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