Joe Perry overturns deficit to set up clash with Ronnie O’Sullivan

World No 15 was 6-3 down to Jamie Burnett at World Championships

Joe Perry in action against Jamie Burnett during day four of the the World Snooker Championship at Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. Photograph: Matthew Lewis/Getty Images

World number 15 Joe Perry overturned a 6-3 overnight deficit to beat Jamie Burnett 10-7 to set up a clash with Ronnie O'Sullivan in the second round of the World Championship in Sheffield.

Burnett beat Cao Yupeng and Ben Woollaston to qualify for the Crucible and looked set to take a notable scalp after a superb first session book-ended by breaks of 84 and 94.

Perry needed a flying start on Monday and he got that, with breaks of 87 in the first frame and 55 and 70 in the second.

He took the two remaining frames before the interval to take the lead in the match and the first two after it to move within one frame of victory.

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Burnett kept the match alive with a break of 111, but it was the only frame he won all day as Perry made 81 to take the next and clinch the match.

Perry said: “I’m pleased with myself today. I dug in and stuck with it. I don’t think I played overly bad yesterday, it was just that Jamie punished me for my mistakes. I knew if I got chances I’d have to make more of them.

“It doesn’t get any tougher than Ronnie O’Sullivan, but, saying that, I would have been absolutely gutted to be sat at home watching Jamie play him.

“We all have to believe that we can win. If we play our absolute best and cut out the errors, and he isn’t at his best, then he’s beatable.”

On the other table, Mark Selby burst into an early lead, but was pegged back by Michael White, who cut the world number three's advantage to 5-4.

Selby took the opening two frames before making 95 in the third, White finally getting on the board in the frame before the interval.

Selby returned with breaks of 78 and 63 to open up a 5-1 lead, but White stopped the rot and worked his way back to 5-3. Three breaks in the 20s were enough for him to also take a tough final frame of the session, which saw Selby fortunate to avoid fouling the yellow, brown and blue when he threw his chalk in the air after snookering himself and dropped it on the table.