Ronnie O'Sullivan touched down in Hong Kong to an absolutely brilliant reception from adoring fans ahead of the World Grand Prix.
The 50-year-old seven-time world champion was all smiles as supporters presented him with a red scarf at the airport – a gesture that clearly delighted the snooker legend.
Taking to Instagram afterwards, O'Sullivan shared footage of the warm welcome, writing: "Nice to be back in Hong Kong and a great welcome as usual."
Fans loved it, with the post racking up more than 4,000 likes and plenty of enthusiastic comments, including one declaring: "Red for goodluck! Reign Supreme!"
Ronnie O'Sullivan received a scarf upon arrival at Hong Kong airport
|The opening session at Kai Tak Arena delivered a major shock as Masters champion Kyren Wilson crashed out 5-2 against China's Xiao Guodong.
It's a real blow for the world number two, who desperately needed a strong performance in Hong Kong to stay in the hunt for the Players Championship in Telford – a title he claimed last year.
Wilson had slipped outside the top 16 on the one-year list, and this defeat ends any hopes of reaching the last 16 here.
Xiao was simply superb, putting together breaks of 87 and 86 before adding two more half-centuries to seal the win convincingly.
Mark Selby showed exactly why he remains one of the sport's finest with a ruthless 5-0 demolition of Aaron Hill.
Ronnie O'Sullivan takes on Joe O'Connor on Wednesday morning
|PA
The former world champion was in devastating form throughout, barely giving his opponent a sniff as he rattled off frame after frame.
Selby's break-building was exceptional – he compiled runs of 60, 100, 82, 94 and 76 across the five frames, including that brilliant century.
It was a masterclass in controlled, clinical snooker from the Leicester man, who looks in fine touch heading into the latter stages of the tournament.
Hill simply had no answer to that level of consistency.
Elsewhere in the opening session, Elliot Slessor produced a fine comeback against defending champion Neil Robertson's whitewash victim Stuart Bingham, recovering from 2-0 down to triumph 5-2.
Zhou Yuelong also progressed with a 5-2 victory over Stephen Maguire, finishing in style with a superb 116 break.
As for O'Sullivan, the Rocket will face Joe O'Connor in his first-round clash at Kai Tak Arena.
Should he get through that one, he'll meet Xiao Guodong in round two following the Chinese player's impressive upset over Wilson.
The tournament runs until Sunday, February 8, with all the action broadcast live on TNT Sports.