Ronnie O’Sullivan battled through to the last 32 of the World Open with a 5-3 win over Michael White.
The world number one was not at his best, despite back-to-back century breaks, but got the job done in Yushan.
It looked like being a straightforward evening’s work in China for O’Sullivan when he produced breaks of 129 and 106 to move into a 3-1 lead.
But Welshman White battled back and had the chance to earn a decider when he twice found himself in the balls after two uncharacteristic O’Sullivan misses – the second of which saw him hit the table with his cue in frustration.
But O’Sullivan won a safety battle to ensure he progressed in eight frames.
Judd Trump remained on course for back-to-back titles after a routine 5-2 triumph over Sanderson Lam.
"Would you like to make 24 triple crown wins?"@ronnieo147 looks ahead to the 2024 World Championship! 🙌
He's beaten Michael White to reach R3 at the #worldopen in Yushan. pic.twitter.com/oMXWiF4snX— WST (@WeAreWST) March 19, 2024
Trump won this event when it was last staged in 2019 – before a four-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic – and is looking a good bet to repeat the feat.
World champion Luca Brecel is through after a 5-2 victory over Oliver Brown, while home favourite Ding Junhui beat Liu Hongyu by the same score.
However, John Higgins is out after a 5-3 loss to Jackson Page.
