Ronnie O’Sullivan matched Stephen Hendry’s all-time record of century breaks, yesterday.

Ronnie O’Sullivan equalled birthday boy Stephen Hendry’s all-time record of 775 century breaks to round off a 6-4 win over Ricky Walden at the Masters, yesterday.

The first-round clash looked all over bar the shouting at 5-1, but the Cheshire cueman reeled off three frames – including one in which he needed two snookers – and the reigning champion was looking tense.

But he got his opportunity in frame 10 and was well past the winning post when an outlandish fluke on the yellow kept alive his run to a 116 clearance and a moment of history.

“You go chasing records and you end up doing it on a fluke!” O’Sullivan told BBC Two. “I’d had a bit of ‘run’ through the match and thought ‘I could fluke this one’.”

O’Sullivan next plays Hong Kong’s Marco Fu – who made a 147 in his first-round win over Stuart Bingham – tomorrow.

He led Walden 3-1 at the mid-session interval with the help of a 77 break in frame four and returned with a 91 to extend his lead.

He made a round 100 to go 5-1 up – and within one ton of Hendry’s record – but Walden responded in kind to pull a frame back.

O’Sullivan made 66 in the next to leave his opponent needing two snookers to stay in the match, Walden eventually laying one on an awkward last red.

He was rewarded with a free ball to get him back in the frame and a clearance of 40 made it 5-3 and Walden made it back within one with a 73 break after O’Sullivan missed a pink to the left middle and showed his disgust.

But O’Sullivan got over the line in some style, with the yellow travelling round the houses before dropping in the left middle and that and every subsequent pot including the landmark blue was cheered raucously by the crowd.

Other result: Carter beat Hawkins 6-1.