Ronnie O’Sullivan and He Guoqiang meet for the second time on Tuesday after the Rookie of the Year stunned the Rocket in their first encounter.
The pair will play in the last 64 of the English Open in Brentwood with the seven-time world champion looking for revenge.
The 24-year-old from China shocked O’Sullivan with a 3-0 win at the Championship League in June, knocking in breaks of 80, 77 and 57 in a superb performance against his idol.
He is the current Rookie of the Year thanks to an impressive debut season on tour last time round and the win over the Rocket started this campaign with a bang.
The world number 64 says he has already improved on last season, boosted by that victory over O’Sullivan.
Asked if that memorable win over the Rocket gave him motivation, he told WST: ‘Sure, because I won and he’s been my idol since I was a kid, I want to talk to him and compete with him, so that I can stand in the venue and beat him.
‘I think my confidence has grown, a kind of support for my game. I feel like I’m definitely getting better this new season.’
He added: ‘There would have been no shame losing to him because nobody was backing me to win. I felt relaxed playing against the top seeds throughout last season. It’s easier to focus on the table because it’s only normal if you lose to them.’
The man from Hunan picked up wins over a string of top names in his first season on tour, knocking off the likes of Kyren Wilson, Mark Williams, Barry Hawkins, Ryan Day, Hossein Vafaei and Anthony McGill in his rookie year.
Asked how he has performed so well so quickly, he said: ‘The reason is mentality, I wanted to win every match, but I won’t show that I want to win. Just take every shot calmly. Maybe it’s because of personality, I have a very calm personality.’
His first season very nearly ended with a debut at the Crucible after winning two qualifying matches but agonisingly losing 10-8 in the final round to Dominic Dale.
He admits that loss still hurts him, but has learned a lot from it, saying: ‘I still feel a lot of regret, even now.
‘We both played very well. The first session and first half of the second session was great and I felt fine at 7-6 down. But after the last mid-session interval I let the occasion get to me. It was my debut season and I imagined finishing with a dream Crucible appearance.
‘I was so eager to perform on that very stage and let everyone watch me play snooker. Thoughts like ‘I have to win’ and ‘I have to be there’ started creeping in and there was a lot of pressure. I was getting way too nervous towards the end of the match so I lost.’
He and O’Sullivan meet in Brentwood at 7pm on Tuesday for a place in the last 32 of the English Open.
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