O’sullivan beats illness

Illness has struck Ronnie O’sullivan but in the end it was Marco Fu who was left feeling dizzy after the defending champion produced a 90-minute masterclass at the Dafabet Masters, writes Charlie Bennett.

O’sullivan felt light-headed during his first-round match but still managed to treat his fans to a thumping 6-0 win over the helpless Fu at Alexandra Palace. The seven-time winner scored 649 points to Fu’s 35 on his way to booking a quarter-final with Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen.

Afterwards, O’sullivan said: “I feel a little bit dazed and confused at the moment. I feel funny, I don’t think I have flu but I am just a little light-headed.”

He then claimed he’s playing such entertaining snooker it’s like watching Lionel Messi play football.

“There is football and there is Messi, there is Roger Federer and there are other tennis players. That is kind of how I see the way I play and I think the fans get something from that.” ● Watch the London Masters live on Eurosport and Eurosport Player with Colin Murray and analysis from Neil Robertson, Jimmy White and Neal Foulds.