Ronnie O’Sullivan says he is not bothered about breaking records at World Championship

O’Sullivan won the two frames required to convert an 8-1 overnight advantage into a 10-1 win over Thepchaiya Un-Nooh in a total match time of 108 minutes.

The victory by the five-time world champion comfortably eclipsed the previous record of 149 minutes set by Shaun Murphy when he whitewashed Luo Honghao last year.

But O’Sullivan said: “I’m not really bothered by records – I stopped bothering about records when I reached them and they didn’t really give you that buzz for very long.

“They’re nice when you’re chasing them but once you get them they’re over-rated in many ways. So I think you just take each game as it comes and it’s just nice to be out there playing some snooker.”

O’Sullivan had required just 82 minutes to establish his overnight advantage against the Thai, who is officially the fastest player in the game.

But it was the ‘Rocket’ who set the furious pace, with an average shot time of less than 14 seconds as he racked up seven breaks over 50, including two centuries.

Thepchaiya missed a chance to prolong the inevitable in the opening frame of the Monday morning session as he was punished for missing a simple red on 22.

O’Sullivan duly stepped in with a clearance of 93 – his eighth break of more than 50 in the match – to move within one frame of the second round.

Despite breaking down on 41 when he missed a relatively simple red, O’Sullivan was gifted a second chance to wrap up a crushing victory with a further break of 48.

O’Sullivan, who starts his second round match against Ding Junhui on Friday, had caused controversy on the eve of the tournament by claiming players were being treated like “lab rats” over the decision to introduce a limited crowd.

But following the government’s U-turn during the tournament’s opening day, O’Sullivan admitted he felt more relaxed playing in front of an empty arena.

He added: “I prefer it – I don’t have to deal with the pressure and expectation of the crowd and getting in and out of the venue.”

China’s Yan Bingtao beat Elliot Slessor 10-7, while former champion Shaun Murphy trails Thailand’s Noppon Saengkham 6-3 overnight. Anthony McGill beat Jack Lisowski 10-9.

The UK Championship will return to the York Barbican in November as World Snooker Tour has announced a shake-up of its calendar after it was revealed that China would not host any international sporting events until 2021.

Events such as the Shanghai Masters, the World Open and the International Championship have traditionally been held before Christmas, but the impact of the coronavirus pandemic means they are absent from the first half of WST’s 2020-21 schedule.

A selection of UK and European events have been brought forward to fill the gaps, with the Championship League becoming a full ranking event played across three legs in September and October.

The European Masters moves from a January slot to become the second ranking event of the season in September, while the Shoot Out will run from October 29 to November 1, having previously been held in February.

The Champion of Champions will follow from November 2 to 8, while the UK Championship also retains its usual spot, with the final set for December 6.