Ronnie O’Sullivan produced a rocket-like performance as he compiled one of the fastest century breaks ever in the Scottish Open on Monday.
The sixth ranking event of the snooker season got under way in Edinburgh with the top 16 players participating in their heldover qualifying fixtures.
O’Sullivan wasted little time in thrashing Bai Langning 4-0, producing a remarkable performance in which his average shot time was just 11.4 seconds.
But it was the second frame of the match that drew the most attention as the world number one reeled off pot after pot in double-quick fashion.
At first, it appeared as though O’Sullivan had broken the fastest century breaks record with his effortless run of 118, but on later inspection it became clear that he missed out by just three seconds.
Tony Drago’s memorable 103 knock from the 1996 UK Championship, when the Maltese Tornado played a fresh-faced John Higgins, remains the speediest ton at three minutes and 31 seconds.
Any dispute about which effort was the fastest was laid to rest by a helpful side-by-side video of both breaks by Twitter user @tibineklara – which you can watch below.
Part two, finish.#ScottishOpen #HomeNations #147sf #ILoveSnooker #Spoiler #DragoWasFaster pic.twitter.com/8H2Ca8hVVU
— tibine.klara (@tibineklara) November 28, 2022
Meanwhile, it was an interesting first day of action at the Meadowbank Sports Centre as the second Home Nations series event of the campaign commenced.
Most of the seeds managed to come through their preliminary ties unscathed, but defending champion Luca Brecel has already crashed out.
The Belgian looked to have remedied a poor start when he won three frames on the bounce to lead Fraser Patrick 3-2, but the latter took the subsequent two frames for a shock victory.
Former world champion Stuart Bingham also bowed out after a deciding-frame loss to Zak Surety.
There were wins, however, for Neil Robertson, Mark Selby, Judd Trump, and the in-form Mark Allen.
- CLICK HERE: Mark Allen claims maiden UK Championship title
Mark Williams, Jack Lisowski, and home favourite John Higgins were among the other notable names to progress to the last 64.
Williams, in fact, is already through to the last 32 as he gains a walkover against the currently suspended Liang Wenbo.
October qualifiers Robert Milkins and Jimmy Robertson are also set to feature at that stage thanks to respective victories over Stuart Carrington and Pang Junxu.
Click here to view the full draw (times in CET)
Where to Watch the Scottish Open
The tournament will be available to UK and Irish viewers on Quest TV in addition to blanket Eurosport coverage provided across all of Europe.
Various broadcasters around the world will be offering coverage (information here), while fans in territories without another service can access the event through Matchroom.Live.
Featured image credit: WST
