World Snooker Championship - Ronnie O'Sullivan looked 'formidable', says Neal Foulds at the Crucible
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Updated 23/04/2021 at 06:32 GMT
Reigning world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan has a tough match on his hands in the second round of the World Championship as he is locked at 4-4 with Anthony McGill after a fascinating opening session at the Crucible - but he still delivered plenty of magic. Eurosport's Neal Foulds believes O'Sullivan's early play clearly demonstrated that he is in "formidable" touch.
'He's started very well' - Reaction to O'Sullivan v McGill from Foulds, White
Ronnie O'Sullivan "looked unbeatable" in the early stages of his second-round match against Anthony McGill at the World Snooker Championship, according to Eurosport's Neal Foulds.
The Rocket went into the first interval with a three-frame lead after stroking in a glorious 138 and he looked to be in sublime form in the early stages of the match at the Crucible.
But O’Sullivan still has a potential scrap on his hands in the finely poised encounter, as McGill rallied from 4-1 down to share the opening session at 4-4.
Despite the 45-year-old going off the boil somewhat after racing into the early lead, Eurosport expert Foulds said his play demonstrated that the reigning champion is in very fine form.
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'Brilliant' - O'Sullivan storms through 138 break against McGill
"I think players respond to the conditions and there were some lovely touches from O'Sullivan," Foulds said in the Eurosport studio.
"Just the way that he caresses the balls around the table and the way he moves them with no effort, with great knowledge of where they are all going to end up.
"He started very well here, you know. To go up with a century to go into the lead [in the third frame], and then the next frame was even better.
When the long pots go into the mix with everything else that is already there, he becomes this formidable player. No wonder he has won it six times.
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'Oh, wow' - McGill heartbreak as black doesn't drop on 147 attempt
"That was delightful, and he looked unstoppable. But in the end he was slowed in his tracks, there is no getting away from it."
O'Sullivan not only produced an imperious break of 138 but also somehow managed to pull off a quite stunning escape shot to wow the fans inside the Crucible.
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'Unbelievable' - Watch O'Sullivan deliver amazing escape
The match will resume on Friday morning and likely come to a conclusion in the evening.
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You can watch every match of the World Snooker Championship live and ad-free on the Eurosport App and eurosport.co.uk. Download the Eurosport app now for iOS and Android.
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