Ronnie O’Sullivan jealous of snooker rival despite hammering him 6-2 | Other | Sport

Ronnie O’Sullivan has revealed that he is jealous of the ‘talent’ some of his Chinese rivals have.

After withdrawing from a string of events, the Rocket has hit the ground running upon his return to the table at the International Championship.

The seven-time world champion added to his first-round win over Mink Nutcharut with an impressive 6-2 win over He Guoqiang on Monday, having lost to the 24-year-old on the two occasions that they had met previously.

Speaking after booking his spot in the final 32 in Nanjing, O’Sullivan heaped the praise on Guoqiang and opened up on how he was envious of his opponent’s ability, despite putting him to the sword in style.

He explained: “It was a big match for me because he’d beaten me the two times we’d played. I had to block out that I lost the previous two and play my game.

“These Chinese boys are so talented. I wish I had their games. They’re so technically good. I’ve got that nous. I’m a bit streetwise, that’s got me through my whole career. But I wish I had the technique that about 80 guys on the tour have.

“The way they pot balls is unbelievable. I can’t pot like them. If I had their technique and cue action I’d go unbeaten the whole of my life.”

O’Sullivan will face Pang Junxu in the next round of the competition as he bids to win his first International Championship title, though several other familiar faces have also hit a rich vein of form in the early stages of the tournament too.