Ronnie O’Sullivan loses to Zhou Yuelong in UK Championship first round

Eight-time winner Ronnie O’Sullivan crashed out of the British Championship with a shocking 6-4 first-round defeat to China’s Zhou Yuelong at the York Barbican on Tuesday.

O’Sullivan, who turned 50 on Friday, was playing his first match in England competition since losing 17-7 to Zhao Xintong in the World Championship semi-final at the Crucible in Sheffield in May.

Despite making quick and entertaining breaks of 71, 123, 62, 94, 65 and 56 against Zhou, O’Sullivan lost four frames on the black field, including the seventh frame in which he led 64-0, making the score 65-64.

Zhou, ranked 29th in the world, never trailed and was one frame away from a 5-3 victory with an excellent lead of 125.

He took the lead early in the ninth frame but was unable to secure the win. But soon another chance came.

O’Sullivan was ahead 58-46 in the 10th frame but lost position as he went from yellow to green, allowing Zhou to claim a stunning victory.

Englishman O’Sullivan, considered by many to be snooker’s greatest ever player, now lives in Dubai with his family and is much more selective about the events he plays.

He had beaten the 27-year-old Zhou in each of their previous seven encounters but this result maintains a huge rivalry for China, which features seven Chinese players in the last 16.

On board two, two-time English champion Mark Selby was in superb form and beat Chinese qualifier Lei Peifan 6-2.

Selby made breaks of 51, 82, 75 and 133 to take a 5-0 lead, Lei won two successive frames to keep his hopes alive but the Englishman took the eighth frame to take the lead.

More to follow.