It wasn’t a match to remember for O’Sullivan, but boy was he lucky to get out of it victorious.
The World No.11, Liang Wenbo came back from 4-2 down to lead 5-4 before missing a relatively easy black to win the match.
O’Sullivan went on to clinch the match in the deciding frame by making a break of 121 to seal the match 6-5.
In the next round, O’Sullivan will play either Neil Robertson or Ali Carter.
In the post match interview, O’Sullivan told the BBC that he was feeling ill during the match against Wenbo. He also mentioned that he was feeling nervy and shaking during the match.
“I didn’t deserve to win – I was there for the taking. I feel for him because I know what that feels like.”
When Liang was on the final black, I thought I’d have a nice week off. I wasn’t feeling well today and I was tired. I’ve had it for about a month.”
Ronnie O’Sullivan has the same number of Masters titles as Stephen Hendry. When asked about breaking the record, O’Sullivan said – “I’ll have another chance – I don’t see much grassroots coming through. I can play until I’m 50.”
In the Evening session, Ding Junhui sent Kyren Wilson home in a 6-3 victory.
The match started well for the Chinese, as he quickly racked up a 3-1 lead, almost making a 147 along the way.
Taking his foot off the gas slightly, Ding started to play scrappy snooker which allowed Wilson to get back into the match slightly.
A few unforced errors from Wilson allowed Ding to get over the line and close out the match at 6-3.
Ding will now play either Joe Perry or Stuart Bingham in the quarter final.
Today’s matches include John Higgins v Mark Allen and Stuart Bingham v Joe Perry