Ronnie O'Sullivan Starts New Season with Dominant Win Over Chinese Amateur in Shanghai Masters
The 50-year-old Ronnie O'Sullivan defeated 18-year-old amateur Linhao Lei 6-1 in the first round of the Shanghai Masters. He will face reigning champion Kyren Wilson in the next round.
Ronnie O'Sullivan, 50, who ended last season by winning the World Seniors Championship, began his new season with a convincing victory in the invitational Shanghai Masters. In the first round, he beat 18-year-old local amateur Linhao Lei 6-1.
The first two frames were shared, with O'Sullivan opening the scoring and Lei responding with a break of 88. The Englishman then won the next three frames, including two consecutive half-century breaks, to lead 3-1. In the fifth frame, Lei had a chance to reduce the deficit but his break of 57 ended, allowing O'Sullivan to return to the table and punish his opponent with two more half-century breaks, sealing the match 6-1.
In the second round, the seven-time world champion will face reigning tournament champion and 2024 world champion Kyren Wilson.
The most exciting match of the day saw China's Zhou Yuelong defeat four-time world champion Mark Selby 6-5. Zhou led 4-2 with impressive breaks of 87 and 135, but Selby fought back, producing century breaks until the deciding frame, where Zhou won with a century to delight the home crowd. Zhou will next face last year's world championship runner-up Shaun Murphy in the second round.
The Shanghai Masters is an invitational event featuring the top 20 players from last season's tour rankings. The top eight seeds start from the second round, while four local amateurs are invited to compete in the first round. Results from invitational tournaments do not affect players' tour rankings.
