Haikou World Open: Judd Trump whitewashes Mark Joyce in first round
World number one Judd Trump raced to a 5-0 win over Mark Joyce in the first round of the Haikou Open.
Last Updated: 26/02/13 4:23pm
Reigning world champion O'Sullivan confirmed that his 10-month sabbatical will be ended by a title defence in Sheffield, with the 37-year-old warning that he was keen to add to his trophy cabinet.
In O'Sullivan's absence the likes of Trump and Mark Selby have jostled for top billing, with Trump currently shading the rankings despite Selby winning the UK Championship and the Masters.
The three men head the betting for the World Championship, but while O'Sullivan was announcing his comeback, Trump was whitewashing Mark Joyce 5-0 in their first-round clash in Haikou.
Victory will have tasted sweet for Trump as it was Joyce who curtailed his defence of his UK title in York before Christmas.
Graeme Dott, beaten by O'Sullivan in the 2004 world final, also won, getting past Jamie Cope 5-2, while another big-name player, Neil Robertson, got the better of Dominic Dale by the same scoreline.
In Tuesday's early session, Mark Allen progressed with a 5-2 win over Ryan Day, while Shaun Murphy needed all nine frames available to see off Martin Gould and will next face Matthew Stevens, a 5-4 winner over Dave Gilbert.
Zhao Xintong and Ian Burns were victors in the wildcard round.