# O’Sullivan makes winning start to season in Shanghai

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/osullivan-makes-winning-start-to-season-in-shanghai/
- Published: 2026-07-27T16:59:33+00:00
- Updated: 2026-07-27T18:37:39+00:00
- Original publisher: BBC Sport (publisher lean: Centre)
- Original article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/articles/c4gjedgpedeo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
- Topics: Art, Celebrity, Culture, Entertainment, Sport, TV

## Key points

- O'Sullivan beat wildcard Liu Linhao 6-1 in Shanghai Masters opener
- Next faces defending champion Kyren Wilson in the last 16
- Mark Selby knocked out 6-5 by China's Zhou Yuelong

## Summary

Ronnie O'Sullivan began his 2026-27 season with a routine victory in the opening round of the Shanghai Masters, beating Chinese amateur wildcard Liu Linhao 6-1. The seven-time world champion's win sets up a last-16 clash with top seed and defending champion Kyren Wilson, while the tournament also saw a shock exit for four-time world champion Mark Selby.

O'Sullivan, 50, made four breaks over 50 against the 18-year-old Liu. Selby, ranked world number nine, was beaten 6-5 by local favourite Zhou Yuelong, who recovered from 5-4 down with breaks of 83 and 107. Elsewhere, Barry Hawkins beat Lei Peifan 6-4 to set up a meeting with world number one Judd Trump, Chris Wakelin thrashed Hewen Tang 6-0, and Neil Robertson faces Xiao Guodong next.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.