He was full of praise for King after the win, and insists he does not care who he comes up against in future rounds – only that he is able to produce some more consistent form.
“I am pleased to be through, Mark is a tough player so I just had to focus,” O’Sullivan told BBC Two.
“I am trying, I have been playing exhibition snooker since the World Championship and that is not good enough for the nitty gritty.
“I haven’t got long now and this is one last effort to see how it goes. I am trying to take one ball at at a time. The result is irrelevant, I just want to apply myself.
“I never look at the draw, I have no interest in it. I don’t care who I play, but do I enjoy everything I do. I have fathomed a way that works for me. I enjoy how I have life at the moment.”