Ronnie O’Sullivan is through to the second round of the BetVictor English Open after seeing off 18-year-old Belgian Ben Mertens 4-3 in Brentwood.
Mertens battled back from 3-0 down to draw level with the reigning and seven-time world champion, before O’Sullivan clinched victory with a break of 63 to set up a meeting with Thailand’s Dechawat Poomjaeng.
“He is a great cueist, hits the ball well,” O’Sullivan said in the Eurosport studio. “I like his game. He is only young and he is going to be around. The sky is the limit for him really.
“I just think he hits the ball well. He has a very good snooker brain, sees the shot, plays the shot.
“He is a great lad. He plays the game nicely and you want to see more players play the game like that.”
The English Open at the Brentwood Centre is close to O’Sullivan’s Essex home, but he prefers to be on the road at events.
“I prefer being away to be honest, in my hotel room and different scenery,” he said. "I prefer being on the road, travelling about and seeing different friends.”
A close shave 🥵
— Eurosport (@eurosport) December 12, 2022
Ronnie O'Sullivan survives an 𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 to beat Ben Mertens 4-3! #EnglishOpen | @ronnieo147 pic.twitter.com/yfZ0rqLFfY
Up next for O’Sullivan is a clash with Dechawat Poomjaeng in round two, and O'Sullivan feels it could be a fun game against the exciting Thai who is back on the tour after regaining the card he lost following a poor season in 2017.
“Poomjaeng the boomerang, he keeps coming back,” O’Sullivan said. “He disappears for four or five years and then is back on the scene. I think it will be fun.”
A talking point has been the temperature in the arena after a heating issue, and O’Sullivan said it was a concern.
“I was shivering at one point, then my nose started to run,” he said. “It was so cold, but I got used to it in the end. Then you come in here and it’s too hot. I’m never happy me, too hot, too cold.”
"He's got a very good snooker brain" 🧠
— Eurosport (@eurosport) December 12, 2022
Great words from @ronnieo147 to 18-year-old Ben Mertens who gave him a test tonight 🤝#EnglishOpen | #HomeNations pic.twitter.com/0MoJY5q8wf
Things also went down to a deciding frame for Judd Trump as he edged Jackson Page 4-3, with his 21-year-old opponent failing to take a chance in the seventh frame to win the match.
Trump said in quotes on wst.tv: “I didn’t want to be going home today. It could have been easier because, at 2-0 (to Trump), Jackson butchered a shot but incredibly he got away with it, and after that the match changed.
“He made a mess of certain shots today but overall he has improved massively and he looks a tournament winner to me.”
Mark Selby was another big name that emerged triumphant from a tight encounter, getting past Noppon Saengkham 4-3.
Defending champion Neil Robertson made breaks of 110, 122, 67 and 88 en route to a 4-0 victory over Andrew Pagett.
