Snooker is back! - O'Sullivan in great form on Shanghai Masters Day 1

The first big tournament of the snooker season is here, as the Shanghai Masters started properly on Monday. The tournament is an invitational, where the top 16 in the world rankings is present along with 8 local challengers from China.

The tournament's prize money pool is massive, especially considering the timing of the event in the middle of the summer. The winner will pocket himself the tidy sum of 210 000 pounds.

Ronnie O'Sullivan faced wild card opponent Liu Linhao in the 1st round, and left no questions about his form coming out of the summer break following a 6-1 scoreline. There were no century breaks to be seen from either player, but Ronnie did put up some solid numbers: 73, 71, 75 and 55.

The reigning Shanghai Masters champion from last year awaits "The Rocket" in the 2nd round, as he'll be facing Englishman Kyren Wilson next.

Perhaps the most tightly contested affair on paper from the opening day was the clash between Mark Selby and Zhou Yuelong. The duo did not disappoint, as their bout went all the way to a decider, with Zhou finally coming out on top 6-5.

China's most senior snooker superstar Ding Junhui was also on form in the early hours of the UK morning, as he took down wild card opponent Yao Doncheng 6-2. Ding was perhaps the most impressive potter on Shanghai Masters' day 1, as he made four century breaks in just 8 frames. He'll be facing 2025 world champion and fellow Chinese star Zhao Xintong in the second round.

You can find the Shanghai Masters 1st round schedule & results along with the highlights of the match between O'Sullivan and Liu below.