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O'Sullivan dismisses latest Crucible warning

Ronnie O'Sullivan faces Mark Williams in the next round © Getty Images

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Ronnie O'Sullivan has brushed off claims his latest Crucible warning was to blame for his lacklustre first-round performance.

O'Sullivan was warned on Monday over an inappropriate gesture following a missed red and looked sluggish as he survived a Liang Wenbo fightback to reach the last 16 with a 10-7 win.

The 34-year-old was also at the centre of a separate controversy as referee Colin Humphries called a foul on the three-time champion after accidentally replacing a potted black with a red - which O'Sullivan proceeded to knock in.

But the Essex potter insists neither incident was in any way to blame for his sluggish display.

"The warning didn't upset me at all," O'Sullivan told the Sun. "I know the rules, I was just disappointed as I'd had a good chance of a 147 earlier.

"I got a warning for whatever I did - you get a warning for everything now. You can't even fart without getting one these days.

"I just didn't get going and the pressure was mounting but I found something at the end."

O'Sullivan will face Welshman Mark Williams in the next round - a player he once claimed few players liked. But O'Sullivan moved quickly to defuse any tension ahead of the pair's match on Saturday, insisting they were now friends.

"We get on great now," O'Sullivan said. "I texted him when he won in China this month and I'm due to do an exhibition down at his club.

"We didn't always get on but I was going through a rough time and was angry with everyone. It was nothing to do with Mark.

"You couldn't get a harder second-round draw than Mark."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.