Ronnie O’Sullivan, Zhao Xintong and Mark Williams exit Shenzhen Open

Ronnie O’Sullivan was beaten 5-2 by Jiang Jun at the Shenzhen Open on Monday, one of three prominent opening-day exits alongside world number one Zhao Xintong and defending champion Mark Williams. Jiang’s victory put him through to face Zak Surety, while Zhao and Williams also lost close matches. The results immediately changed the draw at a ranking tournament scheduled to run through 4 October in Shenzhen.

Jiang takes control after O’Sullivan levels

Jiang won the first two frames against O’Sullivan before the seven-time world champion responded with breaks of 92 and 52 to make it 2-2, according to BBC Sport. That recovery did not last. Jiang took the next three frames and completed the win with a break of 108, turning a level match into a 5-2 defeat for the Englishman.

BBC Sport identified Jiang as world number 64. Sporting Life reported that the Chinese player is 21 and described O’Sullivan as visibly frustrated during the defeat. The result extends O’Sullivan’s wait for another ranking title: Sporting Life said his most recent victory in a ranking event came in January 2024. The result alone does not establish how he will fare in later tournaments.

Sporting Life attributed Jiang’s reaction to comments he made to the World Snooker Tour. Jiang said he had watched O’Sullivan and learned from him since childhood, had not previously played a top player like him, and hoped to have more such opportunities. The remarks give the result a personal dimension for Jiang; his next scheduled opponent is England’s Zak Surety, as both BBC Sport and the tournament draw list.

Zhao and Williams lose deciding frames

Scott Donaldson, from Scotland, defeated Zhao Xintong in a final-frame decider after trailing 3-2, BBC Sport reported. The broadcaster described Zhao as both world number one and the reigning world champion, and said Donaldson stood 65 places below him in the rankings. Donaldson compiled breaks of 77, 105, 50 and 62 during the match, a different path to victory from Jiang’s three-frame finish against O’Sullivan.

Donaldson’s next scheduled opponent is China’s Pang Junxu. BBC Sport identified that pairing, and the tournament draw lists Pang as a 5-2 winner over Luca Brecel. Zhao’s exit therefore removes the world number one from that part of the draw, while Donaldson advances to meet a player who also came through his opening match.

Williams, the defending champion, lost 5-4 to China’s Fan Zhengyi. BBC Sport reported that the Welshman fouled on the final pink in the deciding frame. Snooker.org lists Williams as the 2025 winner, so his defeat ended his attempt to retain the Shenzhen title at his first match in this year’s event. The available reports establish the decisive foul and score, but give no fuller frame-by-frame account of that match.

The draw after the opening day

Judd Trump advanced by a different route. He beat Huang Jiahao 5-0, then went into the last 16 after Anthony McGill, his scheduled next opponent, withdrew on medical grounds, according to BBC Sport. The tournament draw records Trump’s win over Huang and a walkover against McGill. Those results leave Trump in the competition after the departures of O’Sullivan, Zhao and Williams.

BBC Sport also reported a 5-2 win for Neil Robertson over Liu Hongyu, a 5-3 win for Chris Wakelin over Liam Davies and a 5-1 win for Si Jiahui over Oliver Lines. Ben Mertens progressed after Mark Allen withdrew for personal reasons. These results show other players moving through the draw on the same opening day, although the reasons given for the McGill and Allen withdrawals differ.

Snooker.org lists the Shenzhen Open as a ranking event at Bao’an Sports Centre from 28 September to 4 October. Its draw lists a £177,000 winner’s prize and £76,000 for the runner-up. For Jiang and Donaldson, the immediate questions are their scheduled matches against Surety and Pang; the opening-day results establish who advanced, while the later rounds remain to be played.