O’Sullivan makes winning start to season in ShanghaiImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Ronnie O’Sullivan has won the Shanghai Masters a record five timesByBen CollinsBBC Sport journalistPublished20 minutes agoRonnie O’Sullivan made a comfortable start to the new snooker season as he won in the first round of the Shanghai Masters.Playing in his first major event of 2026-27, the seven-time world champion claimed a 6-1 win over 18-year-old Chinese amateur Liu Linhao, who was a wildcard entry.The 50-year-old Englishman made four breaks of more than 50 as he set up a meeting with top seed and defending champion Kyren Wilson in the last 16 on Tuesday.England’s four-time world champion Mark Selby suffered an early exit as the world number nine was beaten 6-5 by Zhou Yuelong.The 28-year-old local favourite, currently ranked 22 in the world, hit breaks of 83 and then 107 to fight back from 5-4 down.Barry Hawkins beat Lei Peifan 6-4 to reach the last 16 while fellow Englishman Chris Wakelin cruised through 6-0 against Hewen Tang.Hawkins will face world number one Judd Trump next in Tuesday’s second-round matches, while Hawkins takes on Mark Williams and world number two Neil Robertson meets Xiao Guodong.Related topicsSnooker
