O'Sullivan captures Shanghai title

World number one Ronnie O'Sullivan eased to a 22nd ranking title victory after a 10-5 win over Liang Wenbo in the final of the Shanghai Masters yesterday.

O'Sullivan took a 3-1 lead into the interval of the first session before returning to move 6-3 ahead.

When the players returned for the evening session Liang briefly gave himself a glimmer of hope by matching O'Sullivan with two frames apiece to make it 8-5 before the Englishman closed out victory in just under four and a half hours.

"I'm very happy to have won the tournament and got my season off to a good start," said O'Sullivan.

"It was a tough match, I struggled with my technique and I wasn't hitting the ball sweetly.

"In spells I played okay but for most of it I had to battle to get through. It's very satisfying to get a victory, especially here in China where snooker is so popular. It's a good feeling."

O'Sullivan had to rely on all his experience and tactical ability to claim his third title in China and the £55,000 first prize.

The 33-year-old from Chigwell ended a spell of 13 months without a ranking title as he moved a step closer to Steve Davis' total of 28, although he remains 14 short of Stephen Hendry's record haul.