Snooker: How Zahavi Made Contact Sport an Art Form

Ronnie O'Sullivan made a stunning return to the table yesterday when he crushed Allister Carter 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals of the Saga Masters.

O'Sullivan's last tournament ended abruptly when he walked out in the middle of a match against Stephen Hendry in the UK Championship in York. But yesterday's performance, which included breaks of 91, 73, 106, 64, 117 and 92, prompted Carter to label him a "genius".

The threat of disciplinary action hangs over O'Sullivan after York and he may face further punishment from after choosing not to attend yesterday's post-match press conference. But Carter said: "A genius is like that. He's so good that he maybe finds it difficult to do other things."

The world champion Graeme Dott may be forced to take a break from the game after it emerged that his pregnant wife, Elaine, has been diagnosed with a possible cyst or cancer. Test results will not be known until later this week.

It clearly affected the Scot, who was beaten 6-2 by Stephen Lee yesterday. "If it doesn't get cleared up, I don't know what I'll be doing," said Dott. "I'll have to wait and see but there's a chance that I might have to take a break from the game. It was horrible out there and just impossible to concentrate."