Ronnie O’Sullivan Beats Nutcharut 6-3 in Delayed Match

Ronnie O’Sullivan defeated women’s world number one Mink Nutcharut 6-3 in a delayed first-round match at the International Championship in Nanjing, China. Safety concerns led to several delays with the start of their match pushed back over 50 minutes as a packed crowd forced the morning session to end early. A World Snooker Tour statement explained, “Due to the amount of spectators, for safety reasons the afternoon session has been delayed until 2:50 pm.”

Once underway, Nutcharut claimed the opening frame, capitalizing on O’Sullivan’s rustiness after a break from competitive play since September’s English Open. However, O’Sullivan responded with a strong run, winning four consecutive frames. Nutcharut narrowed the gap to 4-3 but O’Sullivan ultimately found his form, closing out the match with two century breaks including a 132 in the final frame.

After the win, O’Sullivan expressed his respect for Nutcharut, calling it “an absolute privilege to play such a talented opponent” and wished her well for the future. O’Sullivan now advances to face China’s He Guoqiang in the next round. Meanwhile, China’s Ding Junhui swept past England’s Reanne Evans with a dominant 6-0 performance to secure a place in the last-16.

Despite the scoreline, Junhui struggled with his form throughout but managed to capitalize on Evans’ mistakes. Evans ranked third in women’s snooker, couldn’t gain traction in the match against the three-time UK champion. In another result, England’s Gary Wilson edged out Scotland’s Dean Young 6-4 to reach the second round where he will face either Robbie Williams or Stuart Carrington.

Ronnie O’Sullivan’s victory and Ding’s strong start marked a thrilling opening round of the tournament, with both players progressing in their respective quests for the championship title.