Ka Wai Cheung beats Ronnie O’Sullivan 4-3 in Northern Ireland Open first round
The world number 110 recovered from 3-1 down in Belfast, winning three straight frames to eliminate the seven-time world champion.
Ka Wai Cheung beat Ronnie O’Sullivan 4-3 in the Northern Ireland Open first round at Belfast’s Waterfront Hall on Monday, 19 October, recovering from 3-1 down to eliminate the seven-time world champion, BBC Sport reported.
The result sends Cheung, ranked 110th in the world, through to face the winner of Stuart Bingham’s match against Yao Pengcheng for a place in the last 16. O’Sullivan, the world number 13, was playing at the Northern Ireland Open for the first time since 2022, according to BBC Sport.
How Cheung came back from 3-1 down
Cheung took the opening frame, but O’Sullivan won the next three with breaks of 56, 138 and 72. A missed chance on a red in the fifth frame gave Cheung an opening, and he made an 88 break to cut the deficit. Cheung followed with a 77 to force a deciding frame, BBC Sport reported.
Another O’Sullivan miss gave Cheung his chance in the decider. The 27-year-old made a break of 61 to complete the comeback. Afterward, Cheung told BBC Sport NI he was happy he could play well under pressure. He said O’Sullivan’s support in the arena had made him nervous before the match, but called playing and beating him a satisfying experience.
O’Sullivan’s return and the first-round exits
O’Sullivan, 50, had not played in a UK tournament since his World Championship defeat by John Higgins in April. BBC Sport said he had also been absent from Home Nations events since the 2024 English Open. Snooker.org’s career profile lists him as the winner of 41 tournaments, including seven World Championship titles.
His defeat was the eighth by a top-16 player among the nine who had played at Waterfront Hall to that point. Mark Selby, Neil Robertson, Xiao Guodong, Shaun Murphy and Ali Carter went out on Sunday; Chris Wakelin and Barry Hawkins also lost on Monday, BBC Sport reported.
In Monday’s other afternoon matches, Daniel Wells beat Hawkins 4-2, Jamie Jones defeated Wakelin 4-1, and Luca Brecel beat Lei Peifan by the same score. Kyren Wilson, the 2024 Northern Ireland Open champion, advanced with a 4-0 win over Ben Mertens.
Read in depth: Sports
Indiana's Curt Cignetti expects Tommy Carr to start for Michigan
Indiana is preparing for freshman Tommy Carr to start against the Hoosiers on Saturday, though Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham has not named his quarterback.
Bayern Munich point to home record before Arsenal Champions League clash
Bayern host Arsenal in Munich on Wednesday with a strong record in the fixture, though the visitors bring a long winning run in the competition's opening phase.
Sources and context
- Northern Ireland Open: Ronnie O'Sullivan loses to Ka Wai Cheung in NI Open returnBBC Sport
- Ronnie O'SullivanSnooker.org
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.