O'Sullivan through but 'nowhere near' best level

Seven-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan said he was "nowhere near" his best level despite only needing 17 minutes to secure the one frame he required to move into the World Championship quarter-finals.

O'Sullivan, 49, held a 12-4 advantage over China's Pang Junxu after Sunday's second session, and quickly wrapped up victory on Monday evening with a break of 95 after Pang scored the first 17 points of the frame.

Fan favourite O'Sullivan has won 10-4 over Ali Carter and 13-4 against Pang in his first two competitive matches since snapping his cue and throwing it into a bin at the Championship League event in January.

The Englishman did not play competitively for three months and has said he is trying "to rebuild" his game.

Despite staying on course for a record-breaking eighth Crucible world title, O'Sullivan remained unhappy with how he is playing.

When asked to give his current level of performance a mark out of 10, he said "two", and that he would "have to start playing a lot better" if he was to win the tournament.

He added: "I need game time and I'm trying to get my game back.

"I don't mind who I play as long as I play my game. It's irrelevant who is sitting in the chair, I always back myself if I can play somewhere near my best level.

"I'm not sure I'm close to that but it can click at any time.

"Pot one ball at a time. That feels hard for me to approach the game like that, but that's where I'm at and have to just keep going."

Luca Brecel, the 2023 winner, also completed a rapid victory as he only needed one frame and took it 76-0 to seal a 13-4 victory over 2016 runner-up Ding.

Ding won the first frame, but Brecel won 11 in a row to take complete control. Ding clinched three of the last four frames on Sunday to take it to a third session, but could not score a point on Monday.

Brecel will now meet 2019 champion Judd Trump in the quarter-finals, while O'Sullivan will play China's Si Jiahui, a world semi-finalist two years ago.

"I felt quite good - not 100% yet but good enough to win," said Brecel.

Six-time winner Steve Davis, speaking on BBC TV, felt the Belgian was one of the most entertaining players at the tournament.

"Luca has a true cavalier attitude towards the game and that ability to be able to play and not worry about missing a ball - that's a temperament you can't teach," said Davis.

"It would be hard to believe lightning strikes twice [for Brecel to match his 2023 title triumph] - but he doesn't view it like that, he expects that standard."

Earlier on Monday, World number one Trump held off Shaun Murphy's fightback to win an epic last-16 tie.

Trump looked set for a routine victory when he led 12-6 but missed a red into the middle pocket and Murphy capitalised by reeling off four frames in a row.

However 2019 champion Trump held his nerve to take the 23rd frame for a 13-10 win.

On Sunday, Trump made the two century breaks he needed to reach the 100-ton mark for the season, an achievement that earned him a £100,000 bonus.

The 35-year-old could become the first player to top £2m in prize money in a single season if he wins the world title, the prize for which is £500,000.

Trump, speaking to BBC Two, said: "Shaun was in a world of his own for four or five frames and I was a little bit worried, but I had to back myself in that last frame.

"In the past I've been a bit hard on myself but I'm a lot stronger mentally and I've learned to appreciate the losses and use them as motivation.

"I'm a lot more confident this year, I'm hitting the ball a lot better. I probably have a bit more belief in myself and I feel a lot more calm."

On his chances of winning a second world title, he added: "Pretty much every single day [you play] now you are looking to that next session every time.

"It's only going to get tougher, we're not even halfway there now. It was an extremely tough draw to be playing Shaun at this stage, with the form he was in."

In the other match in the afternoon session, China's Si moved into the quarter-finals thanks to a 13-10 win over England's Ben Woollaston, who had eliminated fourth seed Mark Selby in the first round.

Si reached the semi-finals two years ago, letting a 14-5 lead slip as he lost 17-15 to eventual winner Brecel.

Woollaston, 44th in the world, felt he had missed a glorious opportunity after recovering from 9-7 behind to get it to 10-10, only to lose the last three frames.

He said: "I was 9-7 down and I didn't know how. It was my own fault because there were so many frames I could've won and I should've been 10-6 up.

"From 10-10 he played the best he had in the match. He was then brilliant and some of his long pots were out of this world. It's frustrating as tactically I was all over him the whole match, but I couldn't convert my chances."

Quarter-finals (best of 25 frames, no matches played to a finish)

10:00 BST

Zhao Xintong v Chris Wakelin

John Higgins (3) v Mark Williams (6)

14:30

Ronnie O'Sullivan (5) v Si Jiahui (13)

Luca Brecel (7) v Judd Trump (2)

19:00

Zhao Xintong v Chris Wakelin

John Higgins (3) v Mark Williams (6)