Jiang Jun defeated Ronnie O’Sullivan 5-2 in the first round of the Shenzhen Open on Monday, securing the biggest win of his young career. The 21-year-old, introduced by the MC as ‘The Unstoppable Rising Star’, lived up to the billing by overcoming the seven-time world champion.
Jiang’s Breakthrough Victory
Jiang took a 2-0 lead before O’Sullivan, 50, responded with breaks of 92 and 52 to level the match. However, the Chinese talent won the next three frames, finishing with an excellent break of 108 in the final frame to progress to the last 32, where he will face Zak Surety.
While the ‘Unstoppable Rising Star’ nickname may have been over-excited, Jiang has shown promise. Last season he reached the first two ranking quarter-finals of his career, beating Mark Selby, Barry Hawkins, and Dave Gilbert en route to the last eight of the Scottish Open and Welsh Open. He also narrowly missed a Crucible debut, losing 10-9 to Stan Moody on Judgement Day of the World Championship qualifiers.
O’Sullivan’s Disappointing Run
The defeat marks a disappointing trip to Shenzhen for O’Sullivan, who has not won a ranking title since January 2024. There were signs of form at the Wuhan Open in August, where he reached the semi-finals, notably with a quarter-final victory over Mark Selby. However, he played poorly in the semi-final loss to eventual champion Chang Bingyu and did not play again until Monday’s loss to Jiang.
O’Sullivan is in the draw for the Northern Ireland Open, due to play Cheung Ka Wai on Monday October 19, but he regularly withdraws from UK events, so his participation remains uncertain.
Class of 92 Struggles
The first day at the Shenzhen Open was also tough for defending champion Mark Williams, who was beaten 5-4 by Fan Zhengyi in the first session. Williams, 51, had won the Xi’an Grand Prix last season before it was moved and renamed as this event, but his title defence lasted just one match. Fan potted the final pink but went in-off, handing Williams a chance he took to win.
