Ronnie O’Sullivan Powers Past He Guoqiang in Nanjing

Ronnie O’Sullivan advanced to the third round of the International Championship in Nanjing with a convincing 6-2 victory over He Guoqiang. The seven-time world champion, who faced defeats from He earlier this season, started with a loss in the opening frame but quickly regained his composure. O’Sullivan dominated the match with impressive breaks of 73, 87, 83 and 70 along with two additional half-century breaks, securing a comfortable win.

“It was a big match, and I had to just block out that I’d lost the previous two and try to play my game,” Ronnie O’Sullivan said, looking ahead to his next match against Pang Junxu. In another standout performance, Neil Robertson achieved a 6-0 victory over Fan Zhengyi compiling four centuries during the match. His breaks of 135, 102, 135 and 109 showcased his return to form after winning the English Open in September.

The Australian player, aiming for a strong showing in the tournament to secure an automatic seeded spot for the UK Championship will face Barry Hawkins next. World champion Kyren Wilson also had a successful outing, scoring a break of 143 to defeat Liu Hongyu 6-3. Meanwhile, world number one Judd Trump showcased his skills with a dominating 6-0 win against Sanderson Lam.

However, Stuart Bingham, the 2015 world champion, faced a tough loss, falling 6-0 to Thepchaiya Un-Nooh. Wales’ Mark Williams will meet Un-Nooh after receiving a walkover against Mark Davis while Shaun Murphy also advanced past Anthony Hamilton in the same manner. Defending champion Zhang Anda triumphed over David Grace 6-3 and Ding Junhui secured a solid 6-1 win against Martin O’Donnell.

Finally, two-time world finalist Ali Carter narrowly edged out Scotland’s Ross Muir 6-5 and Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen defeated Ireland’s Aaron Hill 6-2.