Snooker news - O'Sullivan staves off English Open shock against Yuan SiJun

Updated 16/10/2019 at 18:55 GMT

Ronnie O'Sullivan was twice forced to come back from a two-frame deficit to defeat Chinese youngster Yuan Sijun and reach the third round of the English Open.

Ronnie O'Sullivan of England reacts in the first round match against James Cahill of England during day four of the 2019 Betfred World Snooker Championship at Crucible Theatre on April 23, 2019 in Sheffield, England

Image credit: Getty Images

The 2017 champion who also had to mount a comeback to beat Jamie O'Neill in the first round and suffered a similarly slow start against the 19-year-old, who won the first frame with a break of 79.

O’Sullivan wraps up comeback win at English Open

A century in the second allowed him to double his advantage and though O'Sullivan got on the board in the third, Yuan was undeterred and restored his two-frame advantage.

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With no margin for error, O'Sullivan stepped it up a gear and produced three 80-plus breaks to secure his place in the third round.

Ronnie O'Sullivan dispatches spectacular red

"I think he's got bottle, he left me awkward," he told Eurosport after the match.

It's not even touch and feel, I'm not used to playing matches. I only played four matches in Shanghai and a couple of games here, everyone else has played seven or eight tournaments. I'm off the pace.

It had been a successful day for Chinese teenagers playing former champions, with Stuart Bingham stunned by Si Jiahui in the morning's action.

O'Sullivan will face Hossein Vafaei or Chen Feilong in the round of 32.

Robertson through with Fu win

Neil Robertson booked his place in the third round of the English Open with an impressive potting display to beat Hong Kong's Marco Fu 4-2.

Robertson came into the match off the back of a fabulously fluent 4-0 victory over Welshman Kishan Hirani but it was his opponent who had the opening opportunity of the match.

Fu won a lengthy safety battle in the opener but missed a routine red for no obvious reason while among the balls with just eight to his name, and Robertson capitalised with 75 to take the first frame.

Robertson takes control with classy century break

Three reds flew up the table in the second frame to create another tricky safety battle behind the black but Fu again triumphed., adding a clearance of 90 to find some rhythm.

But he was then frozen out of the match by breaks of 49, 50 and exactly 100 to find himself 3-1 down and 40 minutes without a ball potted.

With his tournament life on the line, Fu did find a way to produce a battling break of 50 that, after some prevarication, proved enough to force Robertson to spend a little more time in the arena.

However, the weight of scoring from Robertson's cue and another hefty break in the final frame saw the Australian safely through to the third round where he will face China's Zhao Xintong.