O'Sullivan demolishes Page to sail through World Championship opener

O'Sullivan sped through the two frames he needed to claim the victory as he continued play against the Welshman after romping to an 8-1 lead on Wednesday.

The Rocket completed the rout of the qualifier to set up a second-round clash against Ryan Day (44), who downed Barry Hawkins (45) in his opener.

"I played and cued well which was good. Jackson is a really good player. I knew I had to be on my game, one of the hardest first-round draws I could have got but I was pleased with my performance," O'Sullivan told the BBC.

"I just play. The harder the test the more I see it as a challenge. I have trained hard all my life, I am mentally tough and ready to play whenever," he added.

O'Sullivan hit a break of 122 and several half-centuries during Wednesday's first session but the promising youngster Page avoided a whitewash with a stellar 142.

That would be the Welshman's only frame but the highest of the match as O'Sullivan assumed dominance before finishing the job the next day.

"I don't lie when I say I am not playing well. A lot of people think I am but I am not a liar. I saw what I feel," O'Sullivan also conceded despite the thrashing.

"I know the ability is there it is just finding the right formula sometimes. I have already broken the rules for snooker, I am still going at 48, 49 and I am seeing what is possible now. What is possible in this game and how long can you keep going for?

"Can I win a World Championship at 50, who knows? I am probably the only player able to do that but let's see, let's have an experiment."