Snooker news – Ronnie O’Sullivan edges towards 1,000 centuries in victory over Barry Hawkins
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ByEurosport
Updated 04/03/2019 at 22:40 GMT
Ronnie O’Sullivan edged closer towards 1,000 competitive centuries on Monday night after racking up No. 995 in his opening-round Players Championship win over Barry Hawkins.
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 20: Ronnie O'Sullivan of England plays a shot during The Dafabet Masters Final between Judd Trump of England and Ronnie O'Sullivan of England at Alexandra Palace on January 20, 2019 in London, England.
Image credit: Getty Images
The Rocket secured a 6-4 victory over Hawkins, scoring 106 in the opening frame to move within five centuries of the momentous milestone.
The ton helped O’Sullivan race to a 3-0 lead, but Hawkins fought back with a 104 and 110 to reduce the gap to 5-4.
O’Sullivan held his nerve to avoid a deciding frame, however, scoring 66 to reach the next round, where he will play the winner of Mark Selby vs John Higgins.
Meanwhile, the only other Monday night encounter saw 2016 champion MarkAllen prevail 6-2 against Stephen Maguire.
Allen stormed into a 5-0 lead with breaks of 67 and 61, but Maguire battled through the next two frames, overcoming a 67-point deficit to deny Allen and make it 5-2.
However, a break of 66 was enough to see Allen over the line in the next frame, and he will face David Gilbert or Stuart Bingham in the next round on Thursday.
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