Ronnie O’Sullivan overcame an awful start to his clash with Michael Georgiou as an unanswered blitz of 461 points saw him storm to a 4-1 win at the BetVictor English Open in Milton Keynes.
O’Sullivan, the 2017 champion, hit the blue full in the face from his break-off at the start of the match. What followed was a catalogue of errors in the opener as Georgiou took an early lead without having to work hard for it.
The six-time world champion then prevented his opponent from registering a single point for the remainder of the tie as breaks of 82, 127, 129 and 108 saw O’Sullivan emphatically reach the next round.
Next up for the 45-year-old is his former practice partner Anthony Hamilton in the last 32.
“I felt nervous at the start. I was having something to eat and the game before was 4-2 all of a sudden. I had to rush over and had seven minutes to get ready,” O’Sullivan told Eurosport after his victory.
“I kept trying to settle, as it was just a matter of time to go from chilling out and relaxing to really being focused. I feel like I’m cueing alright, so there is some good snooker in there.”