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 22-year-old 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, who downed Barry Hawkins 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 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."