World Open: Shaun Murphy prepares for his round of 16 match against Ronnie O’Sullivan

“Some people might say he’s not smart, some people might say he’s fresh. It all speaks volumes about an eighth world championship. In whatever position he should be in, some people might say he did it the right way and stayed fresh.

“I’ve been playing well for a season or two. I’ve come up against superheroes who play unbelievable snooker.

“It’s a test of perseverance, it’s about mental toughness – can you keep going? With this event will come the Tour Championship and the World Championship. It’s a great time to get to the level you need to be.”

Seven-time world champion O’Sullivan, who said returning to championship-winning form would be the greatest achievement of his career, has a 14-4 winning record over Murphy.

“I always prepare well,” said O’Sullivan, who lost 4-0 in his last meeting with Murphy, at the Riyadh Season Championship in November. “I know people ask if I’m training enough. Everyone has been doing it since I was a kid. They seem to think I just come in.”

“I prepare harder than any other player and work harder. I think people assume I just need to get out of bed and hit the ground running. That’s not the case.”

World number one Judd Trump also moved into the last 16 with a 5-2 win over Jackson Page, while world champion Zhao Xintong beat Sam Craigie 5-1.

Stuart Bingham and Jack Lisowski missed chances to move into the world’s top 16 and automatically qualify for the World Championship, losing 5-4 and 5-1 to Wu Yizi and Mark Allen respectively.

Masters champion Kyren Wilson beat Alan Taylor 5-1, while Hossein Vafai came back from 2-0 down to beat Mark Williams 5-2 and set up a meeting with Zhang Anda, who won 5-2 over Xiao Guodong.