Ronnie O'Sullivan was brutally self-critical after crashing out of the China Open in Taiyuan, describing himself as a "very poor" snooker player following a last-16 defeat to Noppon Saengkham.
The seven-time world champion led 3-1 but lost five of the next six frames, despite making breaks of 64, 95, and 77. Saengkham progressed to the next round, while O'Sullivan's wait for a ranking title extends to January 2024, and his world ranking has slipped to 14th.
O'Sullivan's honest assessment
Speaking after the match, O'Sullivan said: "I'm just very poor. Too many bad shots, bad frames and silly mistakes. I have been like this for four years, so I'm used to it, but it's frustrating."
He added: "I don't want to take anything away from Noppon; he played a really good match, he is cueing strong. I'm just a very poor snooker player at the moment; it's as simple as that."
Future plans and world title ambition
O'Sullivan has been open about chasing an eighth World Championship title. Earlier this year he said: "I would love to win another World Championship; I've got two attempts here. The three years previously I feel like I wasn't cueing well enough, so I feel like if I can find a bit of cueing and find some form at Sheffield, then if I don't do it this year or the next year then it'll definitely never happen."
He continued: "But no, I am pleased with my career, I am happy with how things have gone, and I just want to try and enjoy these next two years, and I'll reassess it in 2028. If things are really going well, and I've surprised myself, then maybe you can extend it, but you have to be realistic. I am definitely not going to be playing qualifiers, put it that way."
