Ronnie O'Sullivan dominated the opening session of his World Championship clash with China's He Guoqiang in Sheffield.
The 50-year-old, who is chasing a record-breaking eighth Crucible crown, blasted out of the blocks by winning the first five frames of the match before ending the session with a 7-2 advantage.
O'Sullivan only needs three fames for victory when the match resumes on Wednesday afternoon and it would take a highly improbable comeback from the Chinese debutant to stop him.
The Rocket, who will play John Higgins in the second round should he polish off this win, was criticised for missing Friday's press conference and photo shoot ahead of the World Championship but he did speak to the BBC before his match, saying: "A lot of people will say I'm rusty, that's why I said 'Rusty Ron', I'm quite happy being called that.
"It doesn't take me a lot of practice and I don't need to play a lot of tournaments to win and play well."
O'Sullivan has only played in three ranking events in 2026 but in one of those he reached the final of the World Open in China last month, making an historic 153 break along the way.
