Ronnie O'Sullivan searching for 'Mark Williams secret' after stunning win at English Open

04/10/2023 14:57

Ronnie O’Sullivan was at his brilliant best in the second round of the English Open on Wednesday, beating Jackson Page 4-1 in under an hour, knocking in three centuries along the way.

It was a hectic start to the competition for the Rocket as he landed in the UK from China on Monday morning and travelled straight to Brentwood to play his first round match, which he won 4-0 against Andrew Pagett.

The world number one was not at his best in that contest, but he sparked into life against Page, with breaks of 122, 109 and 105, with his opponent making a 109 himself in the frame he won.

The 47-year-old said that on his day off on Tuesday he hit the practice table harder than he normally would, trying to replicate the form of Mark Williams, who won the British Open on Sunday night.

O’Sullivan, who had been struggling with tennis elbow on Monday but appears to now be feeling better, told Eurosport: ‘I worked hard on my game yesterday, I did four hours, normally I only do a couple. But I thought I’d play twice a week, do four or five hours and then the other five days I’ll not play snooker. That’s all I need.

‘I just went through the pain barrier yesterday, it felt alright. I’m always tweaking and working on things, trying to hit the ball sweetly.

‘Working hard at my game, just trying to find some consistency, trying to find the Mark Williams secret, whatever that is.’