Ronnie O'Sullivan tells 'unbelievable' Ben Mertens to embrace pressure after Welsh Open match

Ronnie O’Sullivan believes that 18-year-old Ben Mertens has an “unbelievable” future in the game, but has told the Belgian to embrace the pressure on him. Mertens — who is playing his first season as a pro — appeared to be overawed by the man he describes as his hero as he suffered a 4-0 whitewash defeat, with O'Sullivan putting problems with his cue to one side in a dominant performance to reach the quarter-finals. Ad On the other hand, Mertens – who had beaten Jackson Page and David Gilbert to make it this far — made several mistakes and allowed his nerves to get the better of him, as O’Sullivan wrapped up the match in less than an hour.

Welsh Open'I'm enjoying the challenge' – O’Sullivan opens up about playing with new tipAN HOUR AGO Speaking in the Eurosport studio afterwards, O’Sullivan praised his opponent but also offered him words of advice. “He’s young, but he’s got so much talent,” said O'Sullivan, who won the UK Championship in 1993 at the age of just 17. “You see some players on the tour and there’s a ceiling to everybody, really, but this kid...I don’t think there’s much of a ceiling, you know.

He is, I think, by far the best in his age category so his future is unbelievable. “But I don’t think he should be thinking future; he should be thinking present. The type of game he’s got, the quality he’s got.

Just a bit of experience, maybe. But he’ll mould better as a player, and all really, really good players are quick learners. “So, if he’s going to be a top player, I reckon you’ll see him do it in the next year or two.