Ronnie O'Sullivan advanced to the last 32 of the Wuhan Open with a 5-2 win over Ashley Carty on Monday morning, but the seven-time world champion offered a bleak assessment of his current form, admitting he expects to play 'pretty bad' every time he steps to the table.
O'Sullivan, who turns 50 this year, made three half-centuries with a high break of just 59 during the match in Wuhan. Carty missed several opportunities to claim more frames, allowing O'Sullivan to progress despite a performance the Englishman described as far from his best.
O'Sullivan: 'I expect to play pretty bad'
'My performance was pretty bad really,' O'Sullivan said after the match. 'You have to call it out. I'm not going to lie.'
'I'm not going to try to delude myself and say there was some good stuff. It has been pretty bad for a long time, so I expect to play pretty bad every time I go out there,' he added, per Metro.
The 50-year-old, who remains in the world's top 16, acknowledged that he has struggled to find consistent form for as long as four years. Despite still being capable of exceptional bursts—such as two 147s in the same match in Saudi Arabia last season—O'Sullivan is unsure whether he can recapture that level regularly.
Motivation and the road ahead
'I know I don't have anything to prove and that is what everyone keeps telling me. However, for my own selfish reasons I miss playing well and dominating the table, beating anyone who is in front of me,' O'Sullivan said. 'I miss that feeling, but there is nothing I can do about it.'
O'Sullivan will next face Yao Pengcheng in the last 32 on Tuesday at 7am UK time. His path in the draw has been eased by world champion Wu Yize's surprise 5-4 defeat to 20-year-old Latvian Artemijs Zizins on Monday. Wu, who was in contention to become world number one this week, was eliminated in the opening round, meaning he will not meet O'Sullivan in the last 16.
Zizins, who has reached just one last 16 in his young career, will need to beat Scotland's Stephen Maguire to reach the second last 16 of his career, with that match also scheduled for 7am on Tuesday.
Top-ranked players advance
Meanwhile, Judd Trump remains on track to keep the world number one spot after Wu's early exit. Trump began his campaign with a 5-0 win over Florian Nuessle, while Zhao Xintong also won 5-0 against Gao Yang. Neil Robertson dropped just one frame in a 5-1 victory over Ben Mertens, and Mark Selby defeated Fan Zhengyi 5-2 in his opener, following his China Open triumph earlier this month.
