Before coming to the match itself, let us cover briefly what happened yesterday, apart from practice obviously, and a bit of sightseeing.

Ronnie had an interview and some filming with Superstar Online. Thanks to Silvry for pointing the link to the interview to us (the link has changed but finding the new one was pretty obvious).

In this interview Ronnie speaks about his cue – he’s still playing with the old one, whilst john Parris is working on making him a new one he feels comfortable with – as well as snooker in the Olympics, attending the Athletics World Championships in London, Usain Bolt, a possible “Hussle” in China after the World Championship and more.

Here is the transcript of this interview on the Superstar Online site (automatic translation on Chrome)

O’Sullivan: The club auction raise money a question for him to doubt himself

2017-08-17 7: 0: 43        China Billiards Association official website

　　On August 16, 2017, Hengda World Snooker China Championship was officially opened in Guangzhou. According to the schedule, the first day and no task of the “rocket” O’Sullivan in the hotel for adaptive training, then the fire teacher accepted the “Superstar Online” interview. Although the interview time is only a short period of 15 minutes, but the reporter brought the problem to the fire teacher did not expect, and even began to “doubt yourself.”

 

Recently, O’Sullivan has held in Shenzhen, China and Britain Snooker Star Challenge and Guangzhou Hengda Chinese Championship debut, so that Chinese fans once again close to the “rocket” style. But careful fans found that O’Sullivan’s recent weight rose in a straight line, the body has obviously fat. In that the fire teacher is about to accept the “superstar online” interview, fans friends to the message: “Can you ask him, do you feel that the recent fat powerful? Vest is not to change the new friends?

When the reporter brought the problem to O’Sullivan, “rocket” stunned for three seconds, then smiled and said: “I have three vests, respectively, S, M and L number, I now wear the M number.” In the custom when O’Sullivan gave himself to set aside a “development space.”

Because it is just the end of adaptive training, in an interview with O’Sullivan also took his club, the topic also started. “I am going to change the club recently.” For professional players, the club is a big deal. “In fact, now the club has been very good, but with a long time, I think it is not so much better now. Now, the master of the bar to help me make a new club, I think maybe soon after You can change the club. ”

 

As a snooker king star, even O’Sullivan abandoned the club, but also a lot of senior fans coveted, the collection of Jiapin. “I do not have the club will usually be given to friends, or take charity auction, with the money to help others.”

Recently, the international billiards organizations on the billiards into the Olympic issue of the differences, the billiard bid for this cliché, O’Sullivan said: “I think this is not I can adjust or solve the problem, I think now Snow “The sport is very good, and we enjoy the joy it brings to us.”

Just 15 minutes of the interview soon ended, but O’Sullivan for their own body problems are still brooding. “Do you think I’m so fat?” O’Sullivan came to the dressing mirror, “Do you think I am now fat or strong?” (China Billiards Association Xiaofan)

Editor: cbsa

Now, today …

Ronnie beat Sam Baird by 5-2 in the last 64

Here is the report on World Snooker:

Thursday 17 Aug 2017 10:54AM

Ronnie O’Sullivan is safely through to the last 32 of the Evergrande China Championship after a 5-2 defeat of Sam Baird.

The Rocket was competing in his first ranking event match since losing an epic World Championship quarter-final to Ding Junhui in April.

O’Sullivan lost the opening frame but it didn’t take him long to shake off any signs of ring rust, making a sublime break of 124 to level at 1-1. He took to the front in the third frame, before a run of 91 ensured he went into the mid-session interval 3-1 ahead.

When they returned the five-time World Champion made it 4-1, but Baird kept himself alive in the next with a clearance of 42 to take the frame on the black. O’Sullivan got himself over the line with a century run of 100.

O’Sullivan said: “I’m pretty satisfied with that. The fans come to watch and you want to put on a good performance for them, as well as getting the job done as quickly as possible.”

Some more great picture thanks to Tai Chengzhe

It was an entertaining quality match indeed and Ronnie’s attitude was excellent throughout.

Coverage:

2017 China Championship: Ronnie O’Sullivan – Sam Baird (two parts: frames 1&2  – match from frame 3 on)

Ronnie will play David Gilbert next. Not easy!