‘Rocket’ Ronnie overcomes awful start to ease to win over Cyprus’ Georgiou

Ronnie O’Sullivan overcame an awful start to his clash with Michael Georgiou as an unanswered blitz of 461 points saw him storm to a 4-1 win at the BetVictor English Open in Milton Keynes.

O’Sullivan, the 2017 champion, hit the blue full in the face from his break-off at the start of the match. What followed was a catalogue of errors in the opener as Georgiou took an early lead without having to work hard for it.

The six-time world champion then prevented his opponent from registering a single point for the remainder of the tie as breaks of 82, 127, 129 and 108 saw O’Sullivan emphatically reach the next round.

Next up for the 45-year-old is his former practice partner Anthony Hamilton in the last 32.

“I felt nervous at the start. I was having something to eat and the game before was 4-2 all of a sudden. I had to rush over and had seven minutes to get ready,” O’Sullivan told Eurosport after his victory.

“I kept trying to settle, as it was just a matter of time to go from chilling out and relaxing to really being focused. I feel like I’m cueing alright, so there is some good snooker in there.”