Snooker's old guard took centre stage in the second round of the China Open on Wednesday as Peter Ebdon and Jimmy White both recorded wins, but Fergal O'Brien had no such luck, losing 5-2 by Jamie O'Neill.

White - clinging to his people's champion mantra in the lower reaches of the rankings - saw off Alfie Burden 5-3, but was overshadowed by Ebdon who saw off Judd Trump.

Ebdon and Trump could not be further apart in their styles, with the former a methodical player who goes at his own pace and the latter a free-scorer.

It mattered little, though, as Ebdon hung in at 4-3 down to get to a decider which he took with an 86 contribution.

"We both missed a few balls so perhaps the standard could have been a bit higher but I was very pleased with today's result," Ebdon, 43, told World Snooker's official website.

"I tried really hard and it's a very good win for me."

Ebdon has not entered European Tour events this season, choosing instead to only enter the other tournaments, of which this is one.

"I always looking forward to coming back to Beijing because I knew the conditions will suit me. It's important to be coming into form at this time of the year," he added.

"It's been a very disappointing season for me, especially considering how hard I have worked. My preparation for this tournament has been good and I think this win is the result of all the hard work I've put in.

"I decided not to play in all of the European Tour events this season. Some players are happy to play in all of the tournaments but that's not physically possible for me and it's very tiring for me because I put so much effort into my matches in terms of concentration.

"But you just have to adapt and compete to the best of your ability. It's days like today that make me realise that it still worth me putting all the effort in. I proved today I'm still capable of beating the best players in the world."

In his match White entertained the crowd with a 5-3 win which contained breaks of 91, 60 and 110.

"I'm playing good stuff, I needed to win my last match to stay on the tour so I'm very pleased with my performance," said White.

"I outplayed him in safety. My experience won me the match.

"I'd like to thank my fans in China. I've been coming to China for 30 years."

Elsewhere John Higgins beat Michael White 5-1, Luca Brecel tipped out Dominic Dale 5-1, Ricky Walden saw off Xiao Guodong 5-3 and Shaun Murphy crushed Dechawat Poomjaeng 5-0.

World number one Neil Robertson was a winner, beating Mark Williams 5-4, as was Ali Carter against Matt Selt.

Graeme Dott went all the way against Dave Harold and rising star Yu De Lu won against James Wattana. Mike Dunn saw off Tian Pengfei, Mark Selby knocked out Nigel Bond 5-1 and Mark King defeated Marco Fu 5-3.