Ronnie O'Sullivan has suffered a stunning first-round exit at the UK Championship on Tuesday.
The Snooker legend lost 6-4 to China's Zhou Yuelong at York Barbican.
The defeat marked the first time the 27-year-old had beaten the eight-time champion, who had previously won all seven of their encounters.
Three of those victories came at this very tournament, making Zhou's breakthrough all the more significant.
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O'Sullivan, who celebrates his 50th birthday on Friday, was competing in his first UK tournament since losing to Zhao Xintong in the World Championship semi-finals at the Crucible in May.
The world number 29 never trailed throughout the contest.
Despite producing several eye-catching contributions at the table, O'Sullivan could not convert his scoring prowess into victory.
He compiled breaks of 71, 123, 62, 94, 65 and 56 during the match, yet four frames slipped away on the final black ball.
Ronnie O'Sullivan has suffered a stunning first-round exit at the UK Championship on Tuesday
|GETTY
The seventh frame proved particularly agonising, with the Englishman building a commanding 64-0 advantage before watching Zhou claw back to win it 65-64.
Zhou's superb clearance of 125 in the eighth frame put him within touching distance at 5-3.
O'Sullivan kept his hopes alive by taking the ninth, but in the decider, he lost position moving from yellow to green while leading 58-46, allowing Zhou to pounce.
This result extends O'Sullivan's barren run, with his last ranking title coming in January 2024 and his most recent silverware of any kind at the World Masters of Snooker in March.
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O'Sullivan was competing in his first UK tournament since losing to Zhao Xintong in the World Championship semi-finals
|GETTY
It also represents back-to-back opening-round departures at the UK Championship, following his loss to Barry Hawkins at the same stage last year.
Reacting to his loss, O'Sullivan insisted he was not particularly downbeat despite a hard-fought defeat.
He said: "I’ll probably go for a run, eat some nice food, and watch some snooker."
O’Sullivan added: “It feels all right. It feels good in some ways and not so good in others. You probably worry less about some of the stuff you used to worry about, and try to enjoy your life."
The Snooker legend lost 6-4 to China's Zhou Yuelong at York Barbican
|GETTY
The British sport legend said: "I think since the start of the tournament I’ve enjoyed playing. (But) that was a bit of a ropey performance. I missed a lot of balls and I didn’t deserve to win."
The snooker legend, widely considered the sport's greatest player, now resides in Dubai with his family and has become increasingly selective about his tournament appearances.
He withdrew from the British Open in September, citing medical reasons.
Zhou will next meet two-time UK champion Mark Selby, who dispatched Chinese qualifier Lei Peifan 6-2 earlier on Tuesday.
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