[ad_1]
Venue: The Barbican, York Dates: 12-20 November |
Coverage: Watch live on BBC TV and Red Button with uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and the BBC Sport app |
Ronnie O’Sullivan swept into the last eight of the UK Championship with an emphatic 6-0 victory over China’s Zhou Yuelong.
Zhou only reached double figures in one frame as seven-time UK champion O’Sullivan dominated to reach his 19th UK quarter-final in 21 appearances.
Next up is a meeting with either Welsh qualifier Jamie Clarke or China’s Ding Junhui, a three-time UK champion.
England’s Tom Ford impressed with a 6-3 victory over Belgium’s Luca Brecel.
He will next play either Joe Perry or Stuart Bingham.
O’Sullivan would become the first player to win a ranking event eight times if he can win the title in York, but the 46-year-old claims he is yet to reach top gear.
“I guess my bad is just better than everyone else’s bad,” said O’Sullivan, the current world champion and world number one.
“I think that is a fair assessment of it. I know he didn’t perform, but at the moment I think that is what everyone is doing against me – just not playing well.”
Zhou, who is fourth on the one-year ranking list and 21st in the world, struggled as the ‘Rocket’ dominated from start to finish.
O’Sullivan powered 3-0 up with a sublime 137 break – the highest of the tournament so far – and added another frame before Zhou responded with a break of 63 in the first frame after the interval.
But a missed red to a centre pocket let O’Sullivan in and he stole the frame with an 82 clearance, then wrapped up victory with a break of 103.
O’Sullivan has won two tournaments already season, with titles at the inaugural Hong Kong Masters in October and the prestigious Champion of Champions in Bolton earlier this month.
Sign up to My Sport to follow snooker news on the BBC app.