Ronnie O’Sullivan walks away from shot and places snooker cue on table mid-match in bizarre moment

Ronnie O’Sullivan was forced to complete some DIY repairs during his opening match at the German Masters.

The seven-time world champion eased to a 5-1 win over China’s Long Zehaung in a held-over qualifying match in Berlin on Tuesday.

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However, the Rocket’s first competitive match since December 2 was not without incident as a bizarre moment happened during the fourth frame.

With O’Sullivan putting together a break in a bid to take control of the frame, he noticed his cue was damaged.

The 50-year-old quickly began fiddling with the tip before realising the extent of the repairs required.

O’Sullivan then placed his cue on the table as he opened his case to retrieve a piece of glass paper.

With the crowd hushed in anticipation, he could be seen screwing the tip back into the cue after the fibre had become loose.

After a delay of almost four minutes, O’Sullivan was able to sand down the fibre and smooth out the tip of his cue to his own satisfaction.

Having returned to the table, the world no.8 potted a red to leave himself a shot to the black as he took the lead in the frame.

He would go on to put together a break of 55 to move one frame from victory on his way to wrapping up a routine win.

When does O’Sullivan play next?

O’Sullivan is now set to face old rival Ali Carter in the last 32 on Wednesday evening.

The winner of their encounter will take on either Mark Selby or Xu Si for a place in the quarter-finals.

This week’s tournament is one O’Sullivan has won on two previous occasions, although his most recent German Masters title came in 2012.

A third triumph in Sunday’s final would see him scoop £100,000 in prize money at the Tempodrom.

However, his appearance at the latest edition of the event is his first in nine years.

On his last entry in 2017, O’Sullivan was beaten in the first round by Mark King.

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O’Sullivan’s recent absence from the World Snooker Tour saw him withdraw from the Masters earlier this month on medical grounds.

Kyren Wilson went on to win the Triple Crown event at Alexandra Palace for the first time in his career.