Ronnie O'Sullivan begins his Shanghai Masters campaign against talented Thai James Wattana on Tuesday afternoon.

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The Rocket dropped out of last year's event and has not been beaten in the tournament since the 2008 final.

His opening opponent is veteran cueist James Wattana, who is known for his comical nickname 'Thia Phoon'.

He is no stranger to ranking events, having won three titles and reached the world championship semi-finals on two occasions.

He has returned to the pro circuit and has already made an impact in the four PTC events so far.

O'Sullivan is big favourite to progress and has produced some fine performances already this season, including a 147 break at the Paul Hunter classic.

He is 2/9 with Victor Chandler, as opposed to Wattana, who is a 4/1 outsider with Betfred.

The match begins at 12:45pm UK time and will be streamed live.