Ronnie O’Sullivan made it through to the second round of the 2017 World Championship – and he certainly showed the Crucible crowd he was pleased with it.

O’Sullivan expresses his delight after victory over Gary Wilson. Picture BBC Sport / World Snooker

The five-times world champion came through a tough battle to beat debutant Gary Wilson 10-7 on Sunday afternoon.

And in a rare show of emotion, O’Sullivan gave a mighty double fist pump to the crowd after securing the victory. He then appeared to exchange a ‘high five’ with a fan while leaving the arena.

O’Sullivan, bidding to win his sixth World Championship title at the Crucible, was made to work hard against a spirited Wilson who put in a courageous display against one of the best players the sport has ever seen.

The Rocket will face either Shaun Murphy or 17-year-old Yan Bingtao in the next round – Murphy currently leads 6-3 ahead of Monday afternoon’s final session.

O’Sullivan became the second player of Day 2 of this year’s World Championship to complete a first round win  – joining Kyren Wilson who completed a 10-6 win over David Grace in the morning session.

Wilson, who reached the quarter-finals last year, won the second session 5-2 against the Crucible debutant.

Kyren Wilson. Picture by Monique Limbos

Wilson’s next test will be a second round meeting with either Stuart Bingham or Peter Ebdon.

Bingham, winner of the World Championship two years ago, currently leads the fellow former world champion 5-4 with the match resuming to a conclusion on Monday morning.