Jimmy White: 'Ronnie O'Sullivan will murder me if I don't improve'

ByEurosport

Updated 16/11/2016 at 13:11 GMT

Jimmy White will face his old mate Ronnie O'Sullivan in the Northern Ireland Open second round on Wednesday night with 'The Whirlwind' fearing he might be blown away by the five-times world champion.

Jimmy White presents Ronnie O'Sullivan with the Masters trophy after victory in the 2016 final.

Image credit: Reuters

The pair are meeting in a ranking event over the best of seven frames or longer for the first time since 2002 when O'Sullivan ran out a 5-1 winner in the China Open last 16.

White's last notable victory over his fellow Eurosport pundit came with a 6-5 win in the quarter-finals of the Masters 14 years ago.

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The six-times World Championship runner-up and world number 108 White, the oldest professional on tour at the age of 54, was a 4-2 winner over Gareth Allen in the first round while in-form O'Sullivan enjoyed a 4-1 victory over David John in a match he felt was his best of the season so far.

"I will have to play better than I did in the first round because O’Sullivan would murder you with a repeat of that level," said White.