Shanghai Masters snooker: Ronnie O’Sullivan into quarter-finals after powering past Ali Carter, faces John Higgins next

Ronnie O’Sullivan progressed into the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters after surviving a few nervy moments to dispatch Ali Carter 6-3, and maintain his unbeaten record at the event stretching back to 2016.

Playing for the first time this season, defending Shanghai champion O’Sullivan made a break of 101 and four half-centuries.

He will face John Higgins next after his 6-3 win over Kyren Wilson earlier on Tuesday.

O’Sullivan took the opening frame against Carter after potting the pink close to the yellow pocket, having escaped a snooker.

He would double that lead with a break of 57 as the world No. 1 capitalised on Carter leaving a red over the left corner.

But the deficit was halved when the world No. 11 made an impressive break of 53.

The Rocket would find a glimpse of his top form after potting a brown to the left middle as part of a break of 99 to go 3-1 up.

Carter did not allow O’Sullivan a chance to get to the table when momentum swung his way after potting a red to the middle pocket.

He compiled a break of 68 after eventually being thwarted by the green ball when potting the blue, but it proved to be a confidence-boosting frame for Carter.

His performance in the next was arguably even more impressive with a break of 83 restoring parity in the contest, taking it out of O’Sullivan’s hands after sinking the green and seeing it out from there.

Carter was denied a century after missing the black, but it was O’Sullivan who was being asked the questions at a finely-poised spell in the match.

Those questions were answered emphatically with O’Sullivan wrestling back the advantage after Carter failed to pot a long red.

He proceeded to clean up the table with stunning efficiency that culminated in a sublime pot of the black to re-establish his advantage.

It was career century No. 1,203 for O’Sullivan and his first so far this season, which swung the pendulum back in the world No. 1’s favour.

Another sizeable break would follow in the eighth frame, but The Rocket would miss out on his century on this occasion as the yellow ball jumped off the table.

With only one frame left to secure victory, he wrapped things up in style courtesy of another superb break of 81 to win a third consecutive frame and book a place in the next round.