Battling Ronnie O'Sullivan avoids shock exit as he wins International Championship opener with four-ton blitz

On the opening day of the main venue, televised stages of the £825,000 world ranking event held in Nanjing, China, O'Sullivan avoided a shock elimination as he compiled four century breaks within the final five frames to oust world number 76 Taylor and set up a meeting with Sanderson Lam on Monday.

Taylor took the opening frame before a run of 75 doubled his lead. O'Sullivan got on the board in frame three courtesy of a 93, but Taylor went into the mid-session interval 3-1 up with the aid of a 68.

On resumption, it appeared the underdog was going to move further ahead, but when 54 points up with just three reds remaining, he potted the black, cannoned the pink, and watched the cueball inadvertently sink into the yellow pocket.

An incredible turn of events, O'Sullivan - like he has done so many times throughout his illustrious career - came up with a clutch counter clearance of 48 to steel the frame on the black to reduce the gap to one. For the third time in the contest, though, Taylor opened up a two-frame buffer at 4-2 after he made a 51 in frame six.

However, seven-time world champion O'Sullivan produced a sizzling spell of snooker whist in trouble, crafting breaks of 100, 119 and 129 in consecutive frames to go in front for the first time at 5-4 up.

Momentum swung again as Taylor registered his fifth half-century break of the tie in frame ten to force a decider, but world number five O'Sullivan finished in style with a 128 to breath a sigh of relief and continue his quest for a maiden International Championship crown.

The 49-year-old is playing in his fourth event of the season. After winning a match before exiting the Shanghai Masters, O'Sullivan went all the way to the final of the Saudi Arabia Masters where he was denied the title by Neil Robertson in a deciding frame.

The Rocket's last engagement on the World Snooker Tour was at last month's Xi'an Grand Prix where he reached the last eight before bowing out to Gary Wilson.

Bai Yulu sets new record despite defeat

Elsewhere during Sunday’s morning and afternoon sessions in the Far East, reigning world women’s champion Bai Yulu constructed an effort of 145 - the highest break ever made by a woman player in a professional snooker event.

The 22-year-old from China eclipses the previous benchmark of 137 set by Ng On Yee earlier this season during the English Open. That contribution from On Yee broke a 30-year record.

Bai’s unprecedented total clearance, though, wasn’t enough as she was defeated 6-4 by wildcard Xinzhong Wang.

In the evening session, 14-year-old Xinzhong returned and defeated Robbie Williams 6-1 to reach the last 64.

Reigning world champion Zhao Xintong will be looking to go deep in Nanjing after a disappointing start to the season, and he started his title tilt with a 6-1 win over Oliver Brown, top scoring with a 135 in the opening frame.

17-year-old wildcard Wang Xinbo struck a 141 but went out to Zhou Yuelong, 6-4. Zhou was runner-up at September's English Open, and a semi-finalist last week at the Northern Ireland Open.

Thepchaiya Un-Nooh made 132 and 116 in back-to-back frames during a 6-0 whitewash win, while Daniel Wells - a semi-finalist at the last event in China, the Xi'an Grand Prix - defeated Shoot Out champion Tom Ford, 6-3.

Chinese quartet Xiao Guodong, Jiang Jun, Yuan Sijun and He Guoqiang all progressed.

Jiang defeated world number 17 Chris Wakelin, 6-2, and He got past former world champion Stuart Bingham, 6-4.

A two-time winner of this tournament, Mark Selby squeezed past Liu Hongyu, 6-5, to reach the round of 32 of this year's edition.

Evening session summary from Nanjing

Ding Junhui and Judd Trump remain on course for a hat-trick of International Championship titles after they came through their opening round matches in contrasting fashion.

Home hero Ding ended a near five-year wait for a ranking title here last year, and he began his title defence in impressive style by crafting a quartet of century breaks (116, 104, 102, 115 - the last three being in-a-row) in a 6-0 whitewash of David Grace.

World number one Judd Trump wrapped up a 6-4 victory over Dylan Emery with a 115. Welsh youngster Emery, who registered runs of 137 and 120, was within a few pots of going 5-4 up.

Next up for recent Northern Ireland Open runner-up Trump is Matthew Stevens; at last month's Xi'an Grand Prix, Stevens defeated Trump in the last 64.

World number 13 Barry Hawkins made breaks of 102 and 137 in successive frames as he navigated wildcard Zhou Jinhao, 6-4.

This is a huge tournament for Zhang Anda as he is defending £175,000 from his world ranking total having won this title two years ago.

Projected to fall outside of the elite top 16 at the next rankings revision, Zhang swept away 14-year-old Michal Szubarczyk 6-0 to make the last 32.

Wu Yize (breaks of 114, 132), Gary Wilson (100) and Si Jiahui all scored 6-1 wins as they also advanced.

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