UK Championship 2023 live – Ronnie O’Sullivan kicks off campaign against Anthony McGill, John Higgins faces Joe O’Connor

John Higgins 3-1 Joe O’Connor

Ronnie jawses a red on 89 – again – with a potential 132 on the table, but he’ll take 2-2 at the interval; I’ll be back in 15 or so, and I can’t wait to see how things unfold from here.

Anthony didn’t need telling that if you miss easy balls against Ronnie, you get punished, but he’s been reminded nevertheless. He’s playing well, though; the question is whether that error has ushered his opponent into form.

Ronnie directs a red into the far corner jaw … but it drops, and this is now a really good chance to level the match.

Anthony plays another nasty safety, forcing the foul – he’s still the better player in that aspect – but then, after knocking in the yielded starter, he misses a simple yellow! Complacency? Over confidence? Slipping focus? I don’t know, but if Ronnie ronnies, a mini-sesh in which he’s been the better player is going to end level.

Seven minutes played, not a ball potted.

John Higgins 2-1 Joe O’Connor

Lovely from Ronnie, a clearance of 89 and he’s in the match.

He can’t, and when he leaves one over right corner, Ronnie drills it down and a pink gets the white inside the cluster, leaving the next ball as well as the opportunity to clear paths for others. Another red, spanked into right corner, then liberates various, and that’s a fine shot; from here, the frame should be his.

Oh I say! Ronnie caresses down a luscious starter to left corner ands quickly opens the balls, eager to get himself going. But then a poor shot leaves him with a blue that’s harder than it needs to be … and it does everything but drop! Anthony is in – though he’ll need to work to make something of the opportunity, and the unclustered reds are on rails.

John Higgins 1-1 Joe O’Connor

Ronnie – himself a big fan of Anthony – is in the match he thought he’d be in. Can he find himself?

Great work from Tonelad, hiding the yellow in the middle of the table near the pink spot, white blocked by broon and blue; getting it safe will not be easy. And shonuff, Ronnie misses once then leaves it over right middle, and Ronnie, having lost a frame in which he was dominated, has now lost one he should’ve taken.

Anthony loves the big stage and he confidently closes the gap; the frame might hinge on the red stuck to black cush, and he’ll try landing on it now, off the black … and he does, but the pot doesn’t look sufficiently true … yet it slides off the rail, into the far jaw, then wobbles down! However a careless cannon the brown means he can’t get at the yellow; the frame remains in the balance and to win it, Ronnie will need the pink that’s stuck to the side.

Clever from Anthony, laying a snooker in behind the yellow with the reds now more open than before. Ronnie hits one but not that for which he played, leaving a simple starter, and this could well be 0-2.

I say this all the time, we all say this all the time: there’s no one better in the balls than Ronald Antonio O’Sullivan, and he builds a lead then, right as I rhapsodise, a succession of poor positional shots see him eventually flick the green, meaning end of break with the frame well in the balance.

Ronnie foul-misses, makes a right mess of the table, and the ref is extremely relieved to see Anthony attack a pot to right corner. He misses, though, the ball whipping around the jaws, and that could cost him – there’s plenty pottable on the table.

Anthony is one of the players Ronnie respects, to whom he can countenance losing. On the 30th anniversary of Ronnie’s first appearance in this competition, aged 17, he’ll fancy himself to ruin the celebration.

This has been a really good frame from Anthony, who patiently crafted a chance, took it, and is now ton-hunting.

His potting game, though, isn’t as strong, so he’s soon got the rest out looking to recover a poor positional shot … and he does, taking a red from centre to corner. He’s looking good to go in front.

Anthony manufactures a nice plant, then refuses a broon to right-middle, playing in behind it instead. Shortly afterwards, Ronnie fouls twice, offering a chance after the second and Anthony, whose safety has been as good as it always is, has a chance to take control of the frame.

Anthony has a new carbon fibre cue to go with the glove on his bridging hand, but it’s he who cedes the first chance, dangling a red over left corner; Ronnie knocks it in then plays to the baulk rail as the camera zooms in on a rather unsnazzy pair of trainers besmirching his feet. After which Anthony does similar, in behind the green following his starter; Ronnie hits second go.

Is a tremendous player. He’s beaten Ronnie at the Cruce – not too many can say that – and his all-round game is best-suited to the longer formats. Best of 11 isn’t his ideal, but it’s better than best of nine if he gets off to a good start, I think there’s a decent chance he takes this.

He doesn’t arrive much before his matches as he doesn’t practise before going out – he just wants to warm his hands as it’s cold out. He feels a bit nervous, of course, but he feels he’s playing as well as ever.

Ronnie O’Sullivan (3) v Anthony McGill 921) and John Higgins (11) v Joe O’Connor (38)

Neil Robertson (6) v Zhou Yuelong (26) and Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (40) v Robert Milkins (14)

With apologies for the delay – technical issues – what an afternoon we’ve got in store!

Ronnie O’Sullivan says he’s still as motivated as ever to win every tournament he competes in, while revealing to Eurosport in an exclusive interview he would prefer to play in China over the UK.

‘The Rocket’ is preparing to begin his UK Championship campaign with a match against Scotland’s Anthony McGill on Tuesday, a tournament he has won seven times.

O’Sullivan has been a dominant force in the sport ever since he became world No. 1 for the first time in the 2002/03 season – following his third UK Championship triumph.

However, he is adamant that he has never lost his motivation to win titles, even if he will pick and choose which tournaments he features at.

“I’ll take any tournament,” he told Eurosport. “I’m motivated to win every tournament I play in. It doesn’t matter where the tournaments are, if I turn up to play, I’m there to win it.”