Shanghai Masters LIVE – Ronnie O’Sullivan, Luca Brecel in action with Judd Trump and Ding Junhui to come

Ronnie accumulates, but after playing what looks like a nice shot, the white just keeps running – the baize is swift – and two fine recovery-pots are necessary to maintain the run. This is going to be 4-1.

Zhou receives the rare reward of a table tapped by the greatest to appreciate a shot of his … then Ronnie goes in-off. Zhou, though, misses a starter and leaves all sorts. He’s learning lessons today.

Zhou goes in-off, his fantastically fresh face looking momentarily sad. But he leaves nothing so we’re back playing safety off the cluster.

Luca Brecel 2-1 Si Jiahui

A lesson for Zhou there: don’t let a genius off the hook. Ronnie leads at the interval and we’ll be back in 15.

Ronnie misses a black, but the frame is his.

It’s Ronnie in at the start of frame four and I wonder if almost losing the third will get him going. He’ll like the way his opponent is playing but won’t want to make him, and after four red-blacks he breaks the pack from below, the maxi not out of mind. He loves playing in China so might want to go for one to please the people … but as I type, a pink zips to middle and the frame is at his mercy.

Luca Brecel 1-1 Si Jiahui

Ronnie clears up and that’ll both sting and affirm Zhou: he ought to have gone in front, but he’s playing nicely.

No matter: he gets in next and he’s a lovely potter. Problem being,after two more fine shots he half-stuns the yellow when top-spin was required, snookers himself on the green, misses it, and leaves a free-ball that’ll cost him the frame.

Ronnie compiles then gets stuck behind the black, taking on a shot to nothing and that’s end of break. Zhou, though, then gets a thin contact that leaves one; Ronnie cleans up and tucks in behind the green; Zhou misses thrice but then nails a fantastic blue – I can’t believe he’s taken that on, corner to corner – with one just one red left, in the middle of black cush, the frame is in the balance … but he can’t get position so plays a poor safety.

Ach, going nicely, Zhou tries to pot black in a corner of a corner pocket, looking for position, but as Fouldsy notes, ultimately he’s missed a black of its spot and you’d expect due punishment to now be administered.

It’s Zhou in first in three but he leaves himself straight on the blue, unable to dig into the pack. No matter: when Ronnie tries exactly that he winds up stuck in the bunch – not something that happens to him often – so the defending champ plays safe … and Zhou sends a beauty long to the yellow bag! What can he make of this opportunity?

Luca Brecel 0-1 Si Jiahui

Ronnie clears the table with an 85. We’re level.

Earlier today, by the way, Jin Cao beat Jak Jones 6-2 and Pang Junxu beat Gary Wilson 6-5. Anyroa, back in our match, Zhou takes on a nasty red to the side … and when he misses he leaves the world. This is going to be 1-1.

Time’s up? Ronnie won’t want to lose to a kid and when said kid misses a long red by plenty, the Rocket gets to work. But off a yellow, he has to get the rest out for the next red … and cuts home a nice one. It’ll need a few more shots to relocate prime position, though, and he can’t manage the next red.

Luca Brecel 0-1 Si Jiahui

The 16-year-old hits the front!

Zhou runs out of position so lays a snooker, white behind brown, and though Ronnie hits his chosen red, he leaves a cut-back along the side rail; Zhou drops it in confidently, no worries about missing and leaving it, and from there he secures the frame!

He can’t, though, do much, quickly running out of position, and Zhou takes a starter off the side then keeps the run in progress by floating a narrow black to right-middle. He looked nervous at the start but he’s settling now, doing his thing against the greatest the ever was. He can clinch the frame at this visit.

Reds nicely spread, Zhou gets in and this time adds a black, knowing he’s a chance. That brings with it pressure – if he misses, he knows what’s likely to happen – but so far he’s doing alright. I say that, but asked to cut a brown with the rest, he misses by plenty and now Ronnie’s at the table potting balls.

This is an amazing opportunity for Zhou, who wriggled past Zhang Anda yesterday with the help of a colossal fluke. He rakes the first two reds but can’t find a colour with either.

On table one, it’s Ronnie O’Sullivan v Jinhao Zhou, the 16-year-old – we’ll be focusing on that – while, on table two, it’s Luca Brecel v Si Jiahui reprising their legendary 2023 World Championship semi-final.

And welcome to the Shanghai Masters 2024 – day two!