Ronnie O’Sullivan angrily slammed his cue on the snooker table after a missed shot in his World Open first match against Michael White on Tuesday. The Rocket advanced with a 5-3 win over his Welsh opponent but was far from his usual dominant self in China as he goes in search of a £170,000 cash prize.

O’Sullivan had given up a 3-1 lead and tied with White, before taking the lead once again and moved one frame away from victory in the first-to-five clash. But as he closed on what would end up being a scrappy win, missed a long red and took his frustrations out on his cue and the table.

The Rocket trailed 32-29 in the eighth frame but was at the table and with five reds available. Sending his long-range effort to the bottom-right pocket would have put him in pole position to see out the victory, but he missed by a distance.

O’Sullivan has frequently insisted of late that he places more emphasis on his performance than the result. His disappointment at what was a simple shot for a player of his quality was visible as he hurled his cue down on the table with force, making a loud bang inside the venue.

Thumping his cue down onto the cushion made his frustrations clear for all to see as the 48-year-old struggled with long and mid-range efforts all afternoon, but he was able to see out the victory in the same frame.

White looked set to send the match to a decider in his most impressive display against the reigning UK Open and Masters champion, but commotion in the crowd reacting to the neighbouring table perhaps put him off and a missed black saw O’Sullivan return to action, putting the tie to bed.