World number one Ronnie O’Sullivan came through a topsy turvy encounter with Michael White 5-3 to progress at the Huading Nylon World Open in Yushan.
The Rocket has enjoyed a tremendous season thus far, having captured invitational titles at the Shanghai Masters, the Masters and the Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker. O’Sullivan has also already lifted the 40th and 41st pieces of ranking silverware in his career at the UK Championship and World Grand Prix.
This incredible run of form has ensured that O’Sullivan will remain on top of the world rankings heading into next month’s Johnstone’s Paint Tour Championship, regardless of the outcome this week. It will mean he has been world number one for two years when the event gets underway on April 1st, his longest ever unbroken spell at the summit.
Welshman White’s woes against O’Sullivan continued today and he has now lost all six of their meetings on the World Snooker Tour.
The match got underway with a break of 62 giving O’Sullivan the opener. Both players spurned opportunities in a scrappy second, which eventually went the way of White to make it 1-1. Back-to-back century runs of 129 and 106 then saw O’Sullivan head into the mid-session 3-1 ahead.
When play resumed, White took two on the bounce to set up a grandstand finish at 3-3. O’Sullivan made 87 in the seventh to move one from victory at 4-3. White had chances to force a decider, but it was O’Sullivan who eventually took the frame on the black to run out a 5-3 victor. He now faces Lyu Haotian, who beat Aaron Hill 5-4.
Afterwards O’Sullivan stated that he was thrilled to be back in Yushan after five years away. He also admitted he is starting to set his sights on next month’s World Championship, where he will be gunning for a record breaking eighth Crucible crown.
“I’d love to try to win the Crucible. It is a hard tournament and 17 days is a long time. A lot can happen there. I’d love to win that another time to make it eight. There are so many good players around, so you have to get a little bit of luck and play some good snooker at the right times. I will be going there and trying my best.”
Ronnie O'Sullivan
Seven-time World Champion
O’Sullivan added: “The setup with the table out there is really good. The crowd are really close, so it creates a good atmosphere. Yushan has changed a lot in five years. I didn’t recognise the place. Last time we came here it was just this venue, now you have other buildings and beautiful new roads. It has changed so much.”
World number 52 Jackson Page scored a surprise 5-3 defeat of John Higgins to enhance his tour survival prospects.
Page went on a fine run to the last 16 of the World Championship in 2022, but with those points dropping off at the end of the season, his position in the rankings is set to drop. Victory over Higgins today acts as a significant boost to his chances of remaining in the top 64.
It had looked as if Page was set for a comfortable win when he led 4-1, having crafted breaks of 102, 76 and 75.
Scotland’s 31-time ranking event winner Higgins battled to remain in contention by taking the sixth after requiring a snooker. He the clawed back to 4-3, but it was Page who claimed the eighth to secure victory and a last 32 tie against Wu Yize.
World Champion Luca Brecel secured his progression with a 5-2 defeat of Oliver Brown, setting up a mouth watering last 32 meeting with Stephen Maguire.
Judd Trump continued his hunt for a fifth ranking title of the campaign by beating Sanderson Lam 5-2. He now faces Fan Zhengyi.