If there is one place in the world that Ronnie O’Sullivan loves to play snooker it’s in China – and he looks to be in the mood for more silverware in the Far East.
Earlier on Monday, The Rocket booked his place in the next round of the Xi’an Open with that particular area of China hosting a ranking event for the first time.
The seven-time world champion thrashed Wang Yuchen 5-0 in no time at all to book his place in the last 64 of the tournament.
His opponent showcased his weaknesses during a pretty frustrating contest and there were some reactions to his efforts in the commentary box.
Fergal O’Brien shares what Wang Yuchen struggled with during Ronnie O’Sullivan defeat
This was always going to be a tough ask of Wang in his second year back on the World Snooker Tour.
Ronnie is popular wherever he goes but when he’s in China, he arguably gets better support than the Chinese players do.
Wang was right up against it and some early misses did his chances of an upset no favours whatsoever.
During the game, O’Brien shared one thing that Wang really struggled with during his defeat to O’Sullivan.
He said on Matchroom Live: “He’s not young, he’s 27, some of the mistakes he’s made have been really naive and it’s not like he’s inexperienced. It’s the execution of some of his shots and he’s really struggled with the pace of the table.”
Wang facing fight to prove himself
The Hong Kong player missed some pretty routine balls against the serial title winner and he’ll be gutted not to have given a better account of himself.
Wang is 27 and O’Brien is right that the mistakes he’s making in matches are more in line with that of a younger player.
Since returning to the World Snooker Tour with a win at Q-School, he’s failed to win any of the three matches that he’s played.
That does represent a cause for concern and he must get back on the practice table quickly and get his scoring boots on.
To topple the top players it’s imperative to score highly and Wang simply hasn’t done that enough so far this season.
Losing to O’Sullivan is no cause for drama but it will be the manner of his latest defeat that provides the most cause for concern.