O'Sullivan was on the brink of a surprise exit but won seven of the eight frames played this morning to claim a 10-7 win and progress to the second round at the Crucible Theatre in the English city.

The 42-year-old Englishman, the pre-tournament favourite, conceded his performance yesterday was "embarassing" and claimed he wanted to "give spectators their money back".

"I thought I would give the spectators their money back," O'Sullivan told BBC Sport.

"I was so gutted.

"I thought this is not good for them, they have taken a Saturday afternoon off to watch some snooker.

"Thankfully Stephen potted some balls because it made my life a little bit easier."

O'Sullivan added: "I was missing balls all over the place.

"When I got home last night after winning three frames, 

"I felt I had a good result. 

"It gave me belief today but I was not thinking catastrophic thoughts."

Elsewhere, England's Ali Carter, a two-time World Championship runner-up, booked his place in round two with victory over Graeme Dott.

Carter emerged victorious from a see-saw affair, clinching a 10-8 win against the 2006 world champion.

Northern Ireland's Mark Allen is in control of his first round encounter as he leads Liam Highfield 6-3 going into tomorrow's final session.