World Snooker Championship review: Ronnie O'Sullivan leads Thepchaiya Un-Nooh; John Higgins and Neil Robertson through

This match had been billed as the pick of the first-round ties, the two fastest players on the circuit facing off in a potentially mouthwatering encounter, but the first session was remarkably one-sided as O'Sullivan dominated from the outset.

It was O'Sullivan as close to his best as we have seen all season; his long potting looking in good shape while his breakbuilding showcased all the usual flair and touches of genius that have seen him win five world titles already. An eye watering average shot time of under 14 seconds only served to underline the brilliance of his performance.

A typically fluent break of 101 showed O'Sullivan to be razor sharp and fully focused at the start of his bid for a sixth world title and in the blink of an eye he was 3-0 ahead thanks to further contributions of 85 and 115.

Thepchaiya finally looked to be finding his range in frame four but when he broke down on 42, O'Sullivan ruthlessly stepped in with a clearance of 74 to extend his lead to 4-0, four frames rattled off in the space of 40 minutes.

When returning from the mid-session interval, O'Sullivan's rampage continued as he added runs of 88 and 76 before a break of 69 in frame seven got Thepchaiya off the mark and finally demonstrated the talent that has won him so many admirers over the last few years.

Still, normal service quickly was resumed in the following frame and O'Sullivan continued to show no mercy to his opponent, ending his afternoon's work with a clinical break of 65 in frame nine to ensure he is only two frames away from the second round.

O'Sullivan began the afternoon by sharing a chuckle with John Higgins - who played Matthew Stevens on the table number two - after his introduction from announcer Rob Walker was followed by Oasis' Rock 'n' Roll Star as he entered an empty Crucible Theatre.

The oddity of the 'new normal' was met with smiles from two of the sport's giants who have spent so many years competing in front off packed crowds, but there was a warming sense of familiarity with events on the table as O'Sullivan produced the type of performance we have come to take for granted in his record-breaking career.

Should he manage to maintain this form for the rest of the tournament, he might well have something else to smile about in two weeks' time.

Former champions safely through

Fellow former champions Neil Robertson and John Higgins expressed their support for the crowd experiment after reaching the second round with 10-5 wins over Liang Wenbo and Matthew Stevens respectively.

Robertson, who won five frames in succession to turn a slender 5-4 overnight advantage into a comfortable victory, said: "It's a really good addition.

"As long as they don't add somebody opening a packet of crisps and the random mobile phones going off - as long as they keep it to the end of frames and somebody making a century - it's actually really nice."

Four-time winner Higgins, who converted a 6-3 overnight lead into an equally comfortably success, said it was an improvement on the previous silence which he described as "like going to Mass."

Higgins added: "It was a lot better having some atmosphere in there. I don't know if it would be feasible to have someone pressing a button if you play a good shot, but it would have to be someone who was pretty knowledgeable.

"I still feel the pressure out there - it's still the Crucible you're playing in. It's still a venue with seats and you do feel the nerves just from being here."

Stevens had started the second session in style with a break of 138 but missed a big chance to pull back to 8-6 when he missed a simple black, and allowed Higgins to get the snooker required to go on to win the frame and ultimately the match.

Maflin in hot water despite big win

Kurt Maflin was warned for making an obscene gesture in the 16th frame of his first-round match against David Gilbert, one he would eventually win 10-8.

Maflin directed the gesture towards the table after his bid for a 147 maximum break ended when he ran out of position on the penultimate red.

Referee Tatiana Woollaston took Maflin aside before the start of the next frame and told him: "I have to warn you - the next one, you lose the frame."

World Snooker confirmed that Maflin would not face any further punishment beyond the referee's warning, and the Norwegian later apologised to viewers for any offence caused in his post-match interview with Eurosport.

Maflin quickly maintained his poise with a break of 63 in the following frame to move one away from victory at 9-8.

Gilbert looked set to take the match into a decider but missed a simple red to middle when on a break of 40, and Maflin ultimately seized his chance to clear the colours and wrap up one of the biggest wins of his career.

China’s Yan Bingtao needs just three more frames to book his place in the second round after dominating the opening session against Crucible debutant Elliot Slessor.

Breaks of 66 and 119 helped Yan race into a 4-0 lead and although Slessor broke his duck with a run of 60 in the next, Yan moved 7-1 ahead before the players were taken off a frame early to make way for the afternoon matches.

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