If ever there was a perfect starter for Ronnie O’Sullivan at this week’s World Grand Prix, it was probably Robert Milkins.
The Rocket came into their contest with eight wins from eight matches in the head-to-heads and having conceded just six frames. He duly made it nine out of nine in Preston with a 4-0 whitewash to add to a record of utter domination.
Milkins will be the first to admit he wasn’t anywhere near his best and set the tone for the match when he spurned three chances to win the opener. O’Sullivan never hit top gear; he never had to.
The big question now is whether O’Sullivan can mount a challenge for his fourth ranking event win of the season – and arguably we didn’t learn too much about where he is with his game in round one.
He looked very relaxed and at times this led to some lapses in concentration, but you’d expect him to tighten this up when he is pushed more in the upcoming rounds.
And what we do know for sure is that next up he faces a much sterner test in the shape of China’s 18-year-old teen sensation Yan Bingtao who hammered O’Sullivan earlier in the season 6-1 at the International Championship.
Yan looked in good form to beat Martin Gould 4-2 in round one and even at this very early stage of his career seems to thrive playing in the best arenas against the top players in the game.
There will be plenty of attention on this match as the player widely regarded as the best ever to play the game comes up against a player who people see no limits to what he may achieve in the game in the future. This is this the clash of two unbelievably naturally gifted players who meet at opposite ends of their careers and should make for a fascinating contest.
Brecel: Boom to bust
Elsewhere on the opening day in Preston, it looks to be worrying times for Belgium’s Luca Brecel.
He lost 4-0 to recent Shoot-Out winner Michael Georgiou and continues to look a shadow of the player from the start of the season when he won his first ranking title and for a short while sat top of the table in the one-year ranking list.
Brecel didn’t produce anywhere near his best in his opening round defeat at The Masters and this was another poor performance in front of the TV cameras.
It looks as though Luca is continuing to have issues with his cue and he will need to find his form soon with the World Championship now closing in quickly.