Out-of-sorts O’Sullivan stunned by World No 66

SEVEN-TIME champion Ronnie O’Sullivan was dumped out of the UK Championship by Switzerland’s Alexander Ursenbacher in Milton Keynes.

The world No 66 produced a thrilling display of attacking snooker then held his nerve to repel an O’Sullivan comeback and edge a 6-5 second-round win.

It was Ursenbacher’s second win over O’Sullivan in two career meetings, having also triumphed in their match at the Welsh Open last year.

Despite an error-strewn display, O’Sullivan looked set to dredge up a place in the last 32 when he turned a 4-2 deficit into a 5-4 lead.

Ursenbacher’s policy of all-out attack, which had served him so well in the first part of the match, began to go astray as he neared the winning line.

But a badly overcut red saw a plainly exasperated O’Sullivan miss his own chance to seal victory and extended his agony into a decider.

Ursenbacher pounced with a pair of brilliant long reds which earned him his chance to wrap up the frame and with it the biggest win of his career.

“He played really well, he deserved his victory. I think I did well to get five frames, I think the scoreline flattered me to be honest – it should have been 6-1, 6-2 really,” O’Sullivan told Eurosport.

Asked if he was tired, O’Sullivan said: “No, I’m not making any excuses. He kind of kept giving me chances and I got back into it, but really he was much the better player. My performance just wasn’t good enough to beat someone that plays that well.

“I’ll probably have to sleep on it and have a think about it because I don’t really know what happened out there other than I’m out.”

Yesterday also saw Mark Selby progress with a 6-1 win over Liam Highfield.