Shanghai Masters 2023 LIVE – Ronnie O’Sullivan v John Higgins, Mark Selby v Judd Trump on bumper day

A poor safety from O’Sullivan leaves Higgins a straightforward red to get going. The Scotsman controls it well to hold for the pink and races into a 44-point lead. He splits the pack off the black and opens a few more reds, putting the frame at his mercy.

It’s still 1-1 on the other table but Trump is 30 points ahead in frame three.

O’Sullivan is back in the balls after potting a good long red, despite appearing unhappy with his tip and cue in general. It’s far from vintage stuff but he manages to get over the line with a 44 break to make it 1-1.

Higgins pots a solid mid-range red to pounce on O’Sullivan’s error and then splits the pack when he pots the black. However, in what is the early theme of this encounter, he runs out of position on 21 and plays a sloppy safety shot.

Higgins misses a long red, leaving O’Sullivan the simplest of openers. The pink and black are tied up, however, so he needs to rely on the blue before eventually clearing a path for the black. In doing so, he runs out of position and misses a tricky brown into the middle having done all the hard work.

A break of 70 gave Judd Trump the first frame against Mark Selby but the Jester from Leicester has just levelled with a 70+ break of his own. No issues scoring for those two in the early stages.

A loose safety from O’Sullivan leaves Higgins a half chance from distance on the final red and he makes no mistake before going on to clinch a scrappy first frame.

Higgins misses a straightforward pink, gifting O’Sullivan a second chance to accumulate some points. The Englishman then misses a red along the side cushion and we’re now in the midst of a safety battle. Not the type of match O’Sullivan will want to get bogged down with against the game’s master tactician.

The Rocket was looking comfortable at the table but breaks down on 23. Higgins cuts in a nice opener and has a great chance to open up a sizeable lead on what is a tricky table.

It’s the Scotsman who is in first, pocketing a long red before laying a snooker and forging a chance to get among the balls. Having said that, he’s just missed an attempted plant, allowing O’Sullivan to hit back immediately.

We’ll be bringing you all the action from the O’Sullivan and Higgins showdown, with updates from the other table scattered throughout.

…to a mouth-watering morning of snooker as Ronnie O’Sullivan takes on John Higgins and Mark Selby faces Judd Trump. Watch via the link at the top of the page, or on Eurosport 2 and discovery+, and stay across an unmissable session.