Ronnie O’Sullivan secured a place in the Shanghai Masters after thrashing former World Championship finalist Barry Hawkins 5-0 in the third round. Hawkins, the world number 10, lost the 2013 final at The Crucible to O’Sullivan and went into their Shanghai clash trailing 6-1 in their head-to-head record. ‘The Hawk’ had won their most recent meeting, however, in the second round of the 206 edition of the World Championship, and may have fancied his chances after ending a three-match losing streak with victories in his first two matches in China.
O’Sullivan proved too strong for fellow Englishman Hawkins, though, as he secured a last-eight spot without dropping a frame. The five-time world champion failed to hit a century and it wasn’t necessarily a vintage display from ‘The Rocket’ but he showed his quality when it counted. The 41-year-old’s highest break came in the fourth frame when he hit a 90 and he managed breaks of 51, 87, 78 and 67.
O’Sullivan last won the Shanghai Masters in 2009 but since then he has never been beyond the second round in three attempts and he will be eager to secure a second ranking title of the season after landing the English Open earlier this year. O’Sullivan comes up against Mark Williams in the quarter-finals and he is 2/5 to claim the win or 10/1 to secure another 5-0 victory.
Snooker odds available at Dafabet.