Ronnie O'Sullivan completed a dramatic win over Mark Williams at the Masters
By Richard Damerell
Last Updated: 14/01/16 2:34pm
Ronnie O'Sullivan won three straight frames in the process of completing a thrilling 6-5 comeback victory over Mark Williams in the first round of The Masters.
The five-time world champion appeared to be heading towards an early exit when he trailed 4-2, but he staged a determined rally and took full advantage after Williams missed a plant in the decider.
O'Sullivan was making his first appearance at a major tournament for over eight months as he took a break from the sport following a quarter-final defeat to Stuart Bingham at the World Championship.
After opening a 2-0 lead, O'Sullivan seemed to lose his way and miscued a black in the third, prompting a dominant scoring spell from Williams, who claimed the next four frames in a row.
But 'The Rocket' raised his game at the right moment, compiling breaks of 104, 60 and 117 to pull 5-4 in front.
Williams still forced a decider and was left to regret his wayward plant as O'Sullivan closed out victory with a run of 62 and admitted his good fortune afterwards.
"Unless you are playing really well, it is difficult to win tournaments," said O'Sullivan. "I should have lost that match today really, but I got lucky. Mark will feel disappointed about losing it.
"I didn't really feel nervous. When I was 4-2 down, I had nothing to lose and I loosened up a little."
