Judd Trump hit his fifth career maximum while world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan also eased into the third round of the Northern Ireland Open.

World number one Trump proved far too strong for 16-year-old Gao Yang in Milton Keynes, where the event is being held due to the coronavirus pandemic, as he powered to a 4-0 victory.

His 147 clearance came in the third frame of an exhilarating display which also included two other century breaks.

The defending champion, who has beaten O’Sullivan in the final for the last two years, will now take on Belgian Luca Brecel.

O’Sullivan, meanwhile, came from behind to progress with a 4-1 win over Elliot Slessor.

O’Sullivan had lost his two previous meetings against the world number 56 from Gateshead and was again on the back foot as Slessor opened with a break of 71.

It might have got worse but Slessor missed a crucial red in the second frame and O’Sullivan hit back before cruising home with breaks of 76, 78 and 97.

O’Sullivan, who will now play Matthew Stevens, told Eurosport: “That’s up there with one of the best victories of my career. He beat me twice before. He had the voodoo sign over me and seems to play fantastically well every time he plays me.

“The way he started off I thought, ‘here we go again’. I just had to hopefully get a chance.

“Sometimes beating someone like Elliot Slesser in this tournament, in that round, is better than beating someone like (Mark) Selby in the semis of the worlds. Everyone on the circuit knows how good Elliot is. He can play.”

It was not such a good day for Selby as the three-time world champion crashed out 4-0 to Germany’s world number 117 Lukas Kleckers.

Two other former world champions also went out with Neil Robertson losing 4-2 to Ben Woollaston and Stuart Bingham beaten 4-2 by 17-year-old Zhao Jianbo.