Ronnie O’Sullivan’s difficult run of form continued as he suffered a 6-3 defeat to China’s Chang Bingyu in the Wuhan Open semi-finals on Friday.
The seven-time world champion had openly admitted throughout the tournament that he was struggling with his game, even describing his current problems as a “disease”. Despite overcoming Mark Selby in the quarter-finals, O’Sullivan was unable to reproduce his best snooker against the young Chinese player.
The match began in scrappy fashion, with both players making mistakes, but Chang eventually claimed the opening frame before producing a break of 73 to establish a 2-0 advantage.
O’Sullivan briefly appeared to regain his rhythm, responding with an excellent 82 break before taking the fourth frame to level the match at 2-2 at the interval.
However, the momentum quickly shifted back towards Chang. O’Sullivan had strong opportunities to win the next two frames but missed straightforward blacks from the spot on both occasions. Chang capitalised on the errors to move into a 4-2 lead.
O’Sullivan managed to take the seventh frame, but further mistakes in safety play and positional control allowed Chang to pull away and secure a deserved victory. The 50-year-old was visibly frustrated by his performance, at times appearing close to taking his anger out on his cue.
The defeat means O’Sullivan has missed another opportunity to reach only his second ranking final of 2026. He has not won a ranking event since January 2024.
Despite his disappointing display, his run to the Wuhan semi-finals should help protect his position inside the world’s top 16. O’Sullivan is currently ranked 14th, meaning he is likely to avoid qualifying matches for most tournaments for at least the next several months.
O’Sullivan recently revealed that he has given himself until the 2028 World Championship to make another serious attempt at winning an eighth world title. He has also indicated that he could retire if he is eventually forced to compete in qualifying rounds.
Speaking about his struggles earlier in the week, O’Sullivan acknowledged that he still believes he is capable of winning tournaments when his technique and confidence return. He said his main problem is failing to strike the cue ball as consistently as he knows he can.
Chang’s victory represents another significant step in the Chinese youngster’s development and sends him into the Wuhan Open final after a memorable win over one of snooker’s greatest-ever players.
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