Ronnie O'Sullivan crashed out in the first round of the UK Championship after a 6-4 defeat to Zhou Yuelong. The record eight-time champion, who turns 50 on Friday, missed a chance to force a decider as Zhou cleared the colours to claim his first win over O'Sullivan in eight attempts.
O'Sullivan, now based in Dubai, was playing in Britain for the first time since his World Championship semi-final loss to Zhao Xintong in May. He admitted his performance was subpar, saying, “That was a bit of a ropey performance. I missed a lot of balls and I didn’t deserve to win.”
Despite the defeat, O'Sullivan remained philosophical about his upcoming birthday. “I’ll probably go for a run, eat some nice food, and watch some snooker,” he said. “It feels all right. You probably worry less about some of the stuff you used to worry about, and try to enjoy your life.”
O'Sullivan had clawed back a two-frame deficit, but Zhou, ranked 29th in the world, stole two frames on the black to regain momentum. The favourite's hopes of forcing a decider evaporated when he broke down on the yellow, and Zhou cleared the colours for the biggest win of his career.
In other action, Mark Selby secured a 6-2 win over Lei Peifan, setting up a last-16 clash against Zhou.
