Ronnie O’Sullivan marked his first look for the 2026/27 snooker season with a first-round victory on the 2026 Shanghai Masters in China on Monday.
The five-time Shanghai Masters champion comfortably noticed off the problem of Chinese language wildcard Liu Linhao because the week’s motion bought beneath means on the Luwan Gymnasium.
O’Sullivan wasn’t at his greatest however compiled breaks of 75, 73, 71, and 55 to see off the problem of the newbie and attain the final 16.
Subsequent up for the Rocket, who final received the occasion in 2023, will likely be reigning champion Kyren Wilson – one of many prime eight seeds who loved byes by way of to the second spherical.
5 different matches from the primary spherical befell on the opening day of the celebrated invitational.
There have been a few deciding-frame thrillers, with Zhou Yuelong and Xiao Guodong recording respective triumphs over Mark Selby and Xu Jiarui.
Selby was the one member from the highest 16 who failed to barter his opening check, falling in a high-scoring affair towards Zhou.
The pair traded 4 century breaks and made a plethora of different large breaks, however Zhou’s 107 within the eleventh and remaining body in the end proved to be the distinction.
Xiao ended his contest in related vogue, albeit the two-time Wuhan Open champion will in all probability really feel fortunate to nonetheless be within the occasion.
The 37 year-old initially struggled towards newbie wildcard Xu Jiarui and at one level discovered himself 5-2 adrift.
However he fought his means again to at least one behind earlier than the morning match was pulled off for operating lengthy, with Xiao returning a lot later to make breaks of 55 and 121 in finishing the comeback.
It was way more spectacular for Ding Junhui, who delighted his legion of dwelling followers with a dominant show towards Yao Dongcheng.
The 2-time Shanghai Masters champion – when it was previously held as a rating occasion – tallied 4 century breaks to arrange a mouthwatering conflict with Zhao Xintong within the subsequent spherical.
Elsewhere, Barry Hawkins scored a brace of 121 breaks in a decent 6-4 victory over Lei Peifan.
Chris Wakelin, in the meantime, loved essentially the most snug outing by thumping Tang Hewen with a 6-0 whitewash scoreline.
The remaining round-of-24 fixtures happen early on Tuesday with Si Jiahui in motion towards Pang Junxu and Jack Lisowski – a substitute for Mark Allen – taking over Zhang Anda.
Later within the day, a number of the prime eight seeds will start to enter the fray together with Wilson and world primary Judd Trump, who faces Hawkins.
Neil Robertson and Mark Williams may even be in motion on the second day towards Xiao and Wakelin respectively.
Featured photograph credit score: WST
