O’Sullivan turns on style to avoid first-round exit

In the opening round of the International Championship, Ronnie O’Sullivan defeated world number 76 Allan Taylor 6-5 in the final five frames to claim the title.

In Nanjing, China, O’Sullivan, a seven-time world champion, lost to his fellow Englishman by two frames three times.

O’Sullivan broke the records of 100, 119, and 129 from 4-2 down to take the lead for the first time.

Taylor had a 4-1 lead in mind, but he went in-off with his next shot after potting a red to make O’Sullivan need a snooker.

O’Sullivan, the fifth-ranked player, made a 48-yard clearance to reduce the deficit to 3-1.

Taylor made a nervy sixth frame where both players missed chances, but he was vintage O’Sullivan from the beginning because he punished any errors and demonstrated his exceptional cue ball control.

In the decisive frame, he was quickly sucked into a superb long red and the balls were perfectly placed to seal the victory.

O’Sullivan, who turns 50 next month, has a hard choice in the tournaments he enters.

The tournament’s opening day, which ends on November 9, was scheduled to feature a mix of pre-qualifier, first-round, and second-round matches.

Oliver Brown, the world champion, defeated world champion Zhao Xintong to win the first-round match.

Zhao, a Chinese national, broke 135 in the opening frame of a 6-1 victory, who has struggled for regular victories since winning the world title in Sheffield in May.

Chris Wakelin, an unbeaten finalist at the previous year’s International Championship, lost to Jiang Jun, the world number 111, of China, 6-2 in round two.