Rocket splutters into life at China Open

RONNIE O’SULLIVAN dug deep to beat Marcus Campbell 5-4 in a deciding frame and reach the second round of the China Open.

The “Rocket” was nowhere near his best form in Beijing and looked unfocused as he slipped 3-0 behind, but a reprieve in the final frame before the mid-session interval allowed him to embark on a comeback.

Campbell missed an easy blue with the tight first frame seemingly won — but O’sullivan gifted it straight back to him by taking on an over-ambitious black, and then conceded the next immediately after Campbell ended a long safety exchange by potting the final red.

In frame three, Campbell got the snooker he required on the pink and produced a great positional shot before holding his nerve to secure a re-spot, potting a second black to lead 3-0.

The Scot came back from needing four snookers in the next only to miss a routine pink, allowing O’sullivan to get himself on the scoreboard before the interval.

It proved

the

turning point as a series of good pots on the colours cut the arrears to one, an unfussy 65 break levelled matters and the two-time champion moved ahead for the first time with a 48.

Campbell set up a decider, in which he went 41 ahead, but O’sullivan made a magnificent 77 to snatch victory and set up a clash with Mark Williams, who hammered home player Jin Long 5-1.

But Shaun Murphy went out to 18-year-old Lu Ning, who gave the Chinese crowd something to cheer with a stunning 5-2 win.

Lu cleared the last three colours to take the first frame and seized on a missed red by Murphy to go 2-0 up, but the 2005 world champion levelled before the interval.

The home p l aye r returned from the break with back-to-back centuries, 114 and 119, then wrapped up the match with a 75.

Lu will face Ali Carter after the world No 14 battled past Dominic Dale 5-4.

After the pre-interval frames were shared, Dale nudged ahead only for Carter to take a 4-3 lead.

A 45 helped him level but Carter got over the line with a half-century in the decider.

Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen suffered a 5-2 defeat by Ricky Walden.

Walden will now face Stephen Maguire in the next round.

John Higgins is safely through to the last 16 after seeing off Rory Mcleod 5-1 and will now face Peter Ebdon, a 5-3 winner over Matthew Stevens today.

Stuart Bingham also progressed after defeating fellow Englishman Joe Perry 5-4.

PA. Ronnie O’sullivan.