The new campaign is yet to yield any silverware, however, as O’Sullivan struggles to find the consistency that took him to the top of the snooker world.

He lost in the group stages of the Champions Cup in Brighton and was eliminated in the semi-finals of the British Open and quarter-finals of the LG Cup.

O’Sullivan has reached one final - the Regal Masters in September - but was beaten 9-6 by John Higgins, his closest challenger in the race to become world number one.

The 25-year-old is now determined to knuckle down and fully focus on landing a trophy and is exhibiting a patient streak in the face of the more methodical style of some of his opponents.

‘‘Slow play bores me out of my head,’’ O’Sullivan admitted. ‘‘There are some players who take 10 minutes to make a 50 break and I find it difficult to deal with that.

‘‘I sit in my chair thinking ‘go on, get on with it,’ but I know I can’t afford to be like that.

‘‘I’ve got to accept it, be more positive and not let those kind of things worry me.’’

Ken Doherty, winner of the 2000 Rothmans Grand Prix, the last ranking tournament staged in Malta, admitted he was fortunate to be able to compete after defeating Australian Quinten Hann 5-1.

Doherty, the world number four, slipped in his bathroom three weeks ago and required five stitches above his left eye.

But the Dubliner revealed that it could have been a lot worse.

‘‘I could have poked my eye out and would probably never have been able to play again,’’ Doherty said. ‘‘Obviously, I’m just grateful to be here.’’

Meanwhile, Stephen Hendry will be continuing his push for a first ranking tournament crown in 26 months.

Hendry, seven-times the world champion, tackles his fellow Scot Graeme Dott, the British Open runner-up, for a quarter-final place.

Now sixth in the provisional rankings, Hendry was rated a 10/1 shot in the pre-tournament odds.

‘‘The same thing happened to Steve Davis when he slipped a few places,’’ an unconcerned Hendry said.

‘‘It doesn’t bother me - hopefully when I do win a title the people who backed me will win more money than they used to.’’

Alan McManus was also pleased merely to be in Malta after thrashing Bradford’s Craig Butler 5-0.

The Scot left his passport in his Glasgow home and only realised when he arrived at Heathrow to catch a connecting flight to Valletta.

‘‘I was told something could possibly have been sorted out but that would have meant going to the passport office, filling in loads of forms and hanging around for hours,’’ he said.

‘‘I thought it would be easier to get the plane home and get it back myself.’’

McManus finally arrived in Malta only 11 hours before he was due to play but showed no ill-effects as he advanced for the loss of just 73 points.

Jimmy White won his first match in nine months by beating regular practise partner David Gray 5-1.

White was previously victorious in February but then began a 10-match run of consecutive defeats.

‘‘I was desperate for a win,’’ White said. ‘‘I’ve been practising like a maniac but I knew it was only a matter of time before it came.

World number six Matthew Stevens was also successful as he beat fellow Welshman Anthony Davies 5-3.

Stevens, who compiled breaks of 72, 76 and 89, now meets Joe Perry, who beat world number 10 Joe Swail 5-3.