Ronnie O'Sullivan wants more despite reaching Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters last 16 with big win - 'I'm not flowing'

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Ronnie O'Sullivan insists he is still nowhere near the top of his game, despite a clinical display at the Saudi Arabia Masters. The seven-time world champion hammered Lei Peifan 5-1, scoring two centuries in the process. "It's not pretty, it's not good, I'm not flowing," 'The Rocket' told Eurosport. He will face Zhang Anda, after the 12th seed beat Ben Woollaston 5-0.

'O’Sullivan’s repertoire never gets stale!’ – Rocket lights up Saudi Masters with ‘magic’ century

Video credit: TNT Sports

Ever the perfectionist, Ronnie O'Sullivan insisted he still was not happy with his performance despite an emphatic 5-1 victory over Lei Peifan to reach the last 16 of the Saudi Arabia Masters.

'The Rocket' barely gave his opponent a sniff in Riyadh, as he appeared almost in a race against time to get the match won.

He recorded a break of at least 50 in each of the five frames he won, including two centuries, en route to crossing the winning line.

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The 48-year-old did that despite switching to play left-handed for a number of crunch shots.

And he explained to Eurosport the method behind his thinking, saying: "I haven't had no feel for over two years now, so it's been really difficult to get the enjoyment from it. It's been tough.

"So I decided to just start playing a bit left-handed, because it frees me up a bit. I enjoy playing then. I can actually practice!

"So, just for me, anything to get my cue out the case, and then when I go into the match, I try and do whatever I can to compete, but it's not pretty. It's not good. I'm not flowing.

"But what can you do? You've just got to go with what you've got, haven't you? There's not a lot you can do."

The Rocket got off to a strong start, compiling 59 before an attempt to open the pack went wrong, and he missed a subsequent double attempt on the only loose red.

‘Lovely shot!’ – O’Sullivan hits top form with ‘beautiful’ long pot

Video credit: TNT Sports

However, he was quickly given a second bite at the cherry, and this time made no mistake in securing the frame with a break of 21.

Lei had a chance to hit back in the second frame, but he missed a simple red that had been left hanging over the left corner by a poor O'Sullivan safety shot.

Those were the kind of opportunities he could not afford to miss if he was to pull off an upset, and the seven-time world champion cleaned up with a superb visit of 103.

Another Lei error left the door open for O'Sullivan in frame three, and he needed no second invitation to waltz straight through it.

"He looks like he's on the practice table at the moment," remarked Eurosport commentator Ken Doherty, as he made a lovely 61 until the cue ball stuck in the pack and left him no potting option.

It took him a little time to win the frame though, eventually forcing a Lei mistake with some strong safety play and opening up a 3-0 lead.

O'Sullivan was well and truly on a mission by now, and despite some occasional loose positional play, his potting constantly got him out of trouble as a break of 93 meant he headed to the mid-session interval with a 4-0 advantage.

The break seemed to come at the right time for Lei, who started quickly upon the resumption, with visits of 34 and 16 giving him a handy lead.

O'Sullivan appeared to have lost a little bit of rhythm too, as he failed to capitalise on a couple of openings that came his way to put the match to bed.

‘Not pretty, not good, not flowing’ – O’Sullivan not happy despite earning big win over Lei

Video credit: TNT Sports

In the end, a missed black provided Lei with another easy starter, and he chalked up his first frame with a break of 63.

That proved to be merely a consolation though, as The Rocket wrapped things up with a majestic total clearance worth 131 to record a 5-1 victory in double-quick time.

He will face Zhang Anda next after the 12th seed beat Ben Woollaston 5-0, rattling in four centuries of his own.

O'Sullivan knows that will be a tough contest for a place in the quarter-finals, as he added: "He’s in the top 16, he won a big tournament last year.

"He’s playing some fantastic snooker. He’s full of confidence and he’s enjoying himself."

Higgins top-16 at place in jeopardy after defeat

It was not such a good night for John Higgins though, who suffered a 5-2 loss to Jimmy Robertson.

The result means the four-time world champion is at risk of losing his spot in the world's top-16.

It has been a tough period for the 'Wizard of Wishaw', whose last ranking event title was at the Players Championship in 2021.

Indeed, the Scot has not so much as reached a final since the Tour Championship a year later.

He needed to make it to the last 16 in Riyadh to boost his chances of maintaining a seeding position, and therefore avoid having to qualify for tournaments.

But he quickly found himself in trouble against Robertson, who opened up a 3-0 lead, aided by breaks of 66 and 51.

It looked like a trademark Higgins comeback might be on the cards when he came from 64-0 down to pinch the fourth frame thanks to a vintage visit of 72.

However, Robertson compiled a terrific 122 after the mid-session interval, leaving him one frame from the finish line.

Although the Wizard of Wishaw took the next after a break of 61, he was facing an uphill task.

His opponent duly completed a 5-2 success when registering his fifth 50+ score, setting up a last-16 meeting with top seed and current world champion Kyren Wilson.

Higgins, on the other hand, is left relying on results elsewhere to keep the spot in the top 16 that he has held for over 30 years.

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