Ronnie O'Sullivan expressed his gratitude to his supporters after returning to his ruthless best at the SAGA Insurance Masters at Wembley Arena today although he refused to speak to the media following his 6-1 victory over Ali Carter.
The 'Rocket' completed his second-round clash with former practice partner Carter, but then refused to attend his mandatory post-match press conference.
The two-time Masters winner quit midway through his last-16 clash with Scot Stephen Hendry at the Maplin UK Championship last month provoking criticism from fans, the media, commentators and fellow players.
He subsequently issued a statement expressing his unhappiness at the response to his shock departure.
But having turned down the written press, O'Sullivan then had a change of heart and decided to do a recorded BBC interview with Steve Davis to express his gratitude to his army of fans for their support following his unprecedented York exit.
'I'm fine. Today was just amazing,' said O'Sullivan, who still has the threat of disciplinary action hanging over him for his walkout.
'Ever since it happened I've had fantastic support from everyone. My fans, everyone watching in the snooker world, it's just been fantastic.
'I want to thank everyone who has showed their support, for me and Ali, and for the game. I wasn't sure what response I was going to get from people today.
'You know, all's good.
'I've never stopped enjoying playing, but we're involved in a high-pressure sport and you need to be on your wits the whole way through.'
O'Sullivan was back to his best against Carter and, despite a lack of match practice and still nursing a cold from the Christmas period, he pocketed two cool century breaks and four further half-century breaks in a convincing win.
Breaks of 91, 73 and 106 saw the Chigwell potter establish a 3-1 lead at the interval, with Carter pinching the last before the break with a 68 run.
However, O'Sullivan added additional breaks of 64, 117 and 92 to win in under half an hour following the resumption.
'I've only had a week's practice and I've just come down with the flu, so I've been in my pyjamas for the last ten days,' added O'Sullivan, who now plays Dubliner Ken Doherty in this year's quarters.
'I still don't feel right, but I'm here and enjoying playing.'
