Ronnie O'Sullivan beats Jimmy White 4-2 to advance to last 16

Updated 15/12/2016 at 23:26 GMT

Ronnie O'Sullivan defeated close friend and fellow Eurosport pundit Jimmy White 4-2 in the third round of the Scottish Open to secure his progression into the last 16.

Ronnie O'Sullivan

Image credit: Imago

The world number 12 looked in control at 3-1 after some strong early pots but White came back in the fifth to make it 3-2.

However, O'Sullivan kept his cool to secure the final frame and set up a next round match with Mark Allen.

O'Sullivan, who was using a new tip for the game, told Eurosport after the match that he felt comfortable with it despite plenty of speculation.

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"I'm so happy with how I approached the match mentally," O'Sullivan told Eurosport.

"We both struggled a bit, but it's so easy to give up sometimes when you're playing like that, but I carried on enjoying it.

"I thought 'keep playing, keep potting balls, if you miss don't worry about it. Just keep playing until the end'.

"I enjoyed that match a lot more than when I played Jimmy in Ireland because he played with a bit more confidence, he'd won a few matches.

"I know I could have scored more and done whatever, but my mental skills, I was over the moon with."

Allen overcame Li Hang 4-3 in his third-round match and is scheduled to take on O'Sullivan at 8pm for a place in the last eight.

O'Sullivan, who was the runner-up in the English Open to Mark Selby, has been in good form so far in the Scottish Open and he had eased through his opening two games.

The third-round draw placed him against White, a good friend, and a player with whom he has had many battles with over the years.

There were also a few familiar faces in the crowd, with some of the Rangers players taking in the snooker before their game against Hamilton on Friday evening.