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RONNIE O’SULLIVAN left snooker pundit and former pro Stephen Hendry red-faced after his shock exit from the Champion of Champions.
Hendry had described the tournament as “perfect” for O’Sullivan, only for the Rocket to go crashing out in his first game.
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GettyO’Sullivan, 48, collapsed to a 4-3 defeat at the hands of world No.16 Guodong Xiao after leading 3-0 earlier in the face-off.
The snooker Goat had even stopped Xiao from registering a single point in those first three frames, walking away from the table with breaks of 65, 95 and 125.
But the 35-year-old Chinese potter pulled off an astonishing comeback, stopping O’Sullivan from scoring any points in the following three frames and taking the game to a decisive seventh frame.
Xiao topped off his performance with a victory in the final frame to knock O’Sullivan out of the tournament and advance to the Champion of Champions semi-finals.
The shock defeat, which is surely one of the worst collapse’s of O’Sullivan’s career, left Stephen Hendry‘s pre-tournament assessment looking rather embarassing.
Hendry had lauded O’Sullivan as one of the favourites to lift the trophy, saying on ITV4: “It’s the fact it’s one table, all the attention is on you, we always have great crowds here, that’s what the big players love.
“Inspiration, venues to inspire them and make them play their best. It’s one of the reasons the likes of Ronnie has done so well here. It’s perfect for him.
“Ronnie doesn’t come in ’til Thursday, so basically, this is the kind of tournament he loves.
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“He’s got to play three days of snooker to pick up the trophy. It’s perfect for him. That’s why he has such a good record in this event.”
However, Hendry even made reference to the fact he had underestimated Xiao while on commentary duties for the quarter-final clash.
The seven-time world champ said: “I knew he was good, but I didn’t know he was this good.”
O’Sullivan’s defeat, as is often the case, has sparked rumours over his potential retirement from snooker.
But the 41-time ranking title winner has offered up a defiant stance on his future at the table.
Speaking after the defeat to Xiao, he said: “I have been on a roll for 30 years. It will end when I decide it ends. I’ve very rarely had an average season since turning pro.
“I might have had a couple of years with things going on off the table which meant I couldn’t really focus on snooker and went missing. I definitely had six years where I was partying a bit much.
“I might have won a few tournaments in that period. But when I’ve had my mind and focus right I usually do all right. I’ll keep playing and keep enjoying it. That’s the most important thing for me.”
Xiao certainly still thinks that O’Sullivan is still one of snooker’s best players, labelling his victory over The Rocket as his “best win”.
He said: “This is my best win. I was really excited to play Ronnie. Winning that first event in China, in front of my friends and family, has given me great confidence.”
Xiao will now face Mark Allen today for a place in the final on Sunday.
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PAInside Ronnie's colourful career
FROM his lightning breaks to blasts at officials, Ronnie O'Sullivan has fired snooker into the spotlight.
The seven-time world champion makes almost as big an impact away from the table as on it.
O’Sullivan has three children – two daughters and a son.
And the Rocket’s on-off relationship with British actress Laila Rouass has also hit the headlines.
He has opened up on battles with his weight and addiction.
While the controversial cueist reckons he wasted NINE YEARS of his career by partying too hard.
Despite being worth £14million, O’Sullivan is renowned for his love of canal boats and snubbing flashy cars.
His rivalry with fellow star Judd Trump has been branded ‘snooker’s greatest feud’.
And Ali Carter had his nose knocked out of joint by the Rocket in their infamous ‘Snotgate’ row.
Check out all our latest Ronnie O’Sullivan articles.
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