Wuhan Open: No dramas as Ronnie O’Sullivan drops one frame en route to quarter-final
- Planet Sport writer
- 12 October 2023
Ronnie O’Sullivan maintained his impressive form to coast past Yuan Sijun with a 5-1 victory and book his place in the quarter-finals of the Wuhan Open.
A clearance of 130 helped O’Sullivan take the third frame, with further half-century breaks seeing the world number one firmly in control.
Yuan, who had made a break of 112 in the second, did get a chance in the fifth frame after O’Sullivan lost angle on the pink.
However, the 23-year-old Chinese player could not capitalise as O’Sullivan returned to the table to take the frame 74-63 and secure his place in the last eight.
O’Sullivan, who won the Shanghai Masters last month, will next play Lyu Haotian after he beat compatriot Zhang Anda 5-2, making two century breaks.
Mark Allen could yet knock O’Sullivan off the world number one spot if he goes on to win the tournament.
The Northern Irishman safely progressed to the quarter-finals with a 5-2 win over Jack Lisowski.
Allen will face Ali Carter in the next round after the Englishman beat Liam Highfield 5-1.
Judd Trump – who was a late arrival in Wuhan after winning last week’s English Open – defeated Barry Hawkins 5-2.
Trump made four half-century clearances before sealing victory with a break of 100, his 27th century of the season.
In the quarter-finals world number four Trump will meet Tom Ford after he edged past Xiao Guodong in a last-frame decider.
Chinese teenager Wu Yize beat Scotland’s Stephen Maguire 5-4 after a respotted black in the final frame while Ireland’s Aaron Hill won 5-3 against He Guoqiang.
