Ronnie O’Sullivan’s difficult season continued as the seven-time world champion was eliminated from the Shenzhen Open by China’s Jiang Jun, the world No. 64.
O’Sullivan was competing for the first time since his run to the Wuhan Open semi-finals in August and was making only his third ranking-event appearance of the season. However, the 21-year-old Jiang produced an impressive performance to defeat him 5-2 in their first meeting, finishing the match with a century break of 108.
The defeat adds to concerns surrounding O’Sullivan’s recent form. Following his Wuhan loss to Chang Bingyu, he revealed that he had been dealing with what he described as a “disease” and said he had given himself 18 months to rescue his career.
Jiang made the stronger start in Shenzhen, taking advantage of two missed straightforward reds from O’Sullivan to establish a 2-0 advantage. The Chinese youngster had already reached the quarter-finals of both the Scottish and Welsh Opens last season.
O’Sullivan responded before the interval, producing breaks of 92 and 52 to level the match at 2-2. But Jiang remained composed after the restart, regaining the lead with a break of 48 following a safety mistake from O’Sullivan.
The young Chinese player then moved to within one frame of victory with a superb display of long-potting. O’Sullivan had the first opportunity in the seventh frame and opened up the reds, but a missed long pot allowed Jiang back to the table. He responded clinically with a match-winning 108 clearance to complete the upset.
O’Sullivan’s next appearance remains unclear. He has withdrawn from the International Championship in Nanjing next week after being required to compete in a UK qualifying round.
Elsewhere, Judd Trump advanced with a 5-0 victory over Huang Jiahao, while defending champion Mark Williams lost a deciding frame 5-4 to China’s Fan Zhengyi.
O’Sullivan is currently scheduled to return at the Northern Ireland Open on October 19 against Cheung Ka Wai. He has not won a ranking title since January 2024.
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