Shanghai Masters snooker: Ronnie O'Sullivan wins two matches and fires a top break of 144

Snooker

Wed November 15, 2017 · 7y ago

Ronnie O'Sullivan won two matches on Wednesday to reach the third round of the Shanghai Masters while Mark Selby survived a second successive scare to edge through.

Having been involved in Sunday's Champion of Champions final in Coventry, where he lost to Shaun Murphy, O'Sullivan was playing his first game of the tournament on Wednesday morning and made light of Gary Wilson with a 5-2 victory which included a superb break of 144 in the fifth frame.

The Rocket returned to the baize later in the evening for his second-round clash with Joe Perry and although he lost the opening frame, he responded with a high break of 127 as he powered to a 5-1 win.

O'Sullivan is Sky Bet's Price Boosted 9/2 (from 7/2) favourite for the title and he will next play Barry Hawkins, who managed runs of 121, 91 and 87 in a 5-3 triumph over Michael White, on Thursday for a place in the quarter-finals later that evening.

World champion Mark Selby (4/1) was taken to a decider for the second time in as many days as he battled past veteran Scotsman Alan McManus 5-4 with a highest break of 98.

He'll need to up his game if he's to justify favourtism against Mark Williams, who looked in great form during a 5-0 whitewash of Gerard Greene, making a splendid 133 break in the opening frame.

Judd Trump (4/1) also laid down a marker with a 5-0 victory over Ben Woollaston while John Higgins (11/2) managed to century breaks (125 and 104) in a 5-1 demolition of Zhou Yuelong.

Trump next plays Stephen Maguire - a 5-4 winner over Ali Carter, whose 143 break was in vain - while Higgins takes on Liang Wenbo following the Chinese player's 5-0 triumph against David Gilbert.

Rising Belgian star Luca Brecel thrashed Jamie Jones 5-0 and next plays Graeme Dott, who beat Robbie Williams 5-2 thanks to a closing 101 break in the seventh frame while Jack Lisowski's reward for edging a 5-4 battle against Cao Yupeng is a clash with Mark Allen.

The Northern Irishman impressively beat Fergal O'Brien with breaks of 133, 104 and 85.

Marco Fu also managed two century breaks (124 and 107) in a 5-3 defeat of Robert Milkins and he comes up against a player who managed the same feat (102 and 100) in a 5-0 thumping of Akani Songsermsawad - Martin Gould.

The last third-round game will see Kurt Maflin, who made breaks of 135 and 119 in a 5-3 win over Yu De Lu, take on Mei Xi Wen following the latter's 5-4 triumph over Adam Duffy.