Ronnie O'Sullivan's return to the Ronnie O'sullivan Northern Ireland Open ended in a surprise 4-3 defeat to world-ranked 110 Ka Wai Cheung in Belfast, despite leading 3-1 at one stage. It was a frustrating first-round exit for the three-time Northern Ireland Open finalist, and another reminder that even the biggest names can be vulnerable in the early rounds of a Home Nations event.
O'Sullivan had not played in the United Kingdom since his April loss to John Higgins at the World Championship, and this was his first Northern Ireland Open appearance since 2022. But after looking in control for long spells, he lost the final three frames as Cheung produced one of the standout results of the week at the Waterfront Hall.
Cheung holds his nerve under pressure
Ka Wai Cheung said afterwards that he was pleased to handle the occasion, even with O'Sullivan backed by a heavily supportive crowd. “I'm very happy that I can still play well under pressure,” he said.
He added that the atmosphere made the experience even more intense, saying he was “actually scared a little bit before the match” because of the number of fans supporting O'Sullivan, but that it was still “the best experience” for him. The win clearly meant a great deal to the Hong Kong player, who described it as satisfying to beat “the legend of the game”.
Another top-16 casualty at the Waterfront Hall
The result continued a difficult opening spell for the seeded players in Belfast. On Sunday, Mark Selby, Neil Robertson, Xiao Guodong, Shaun Murphy and Ali Carter all lost at the Waterfront Hall, while Monday's play also saw Barry Hawkins beaten 4-2 by Daniel Wells and Kyren Wilson defeat Ben Mertens 4-0.
That left O'Sullivan as the eighth top-16 player to fall out of the nine who had played at the venue so far. For a tournament that has already produced several shocks, the defeat underlined how quickly the draw has opened up.
For O'Sullivan, though, the headline is straightforward: a promising position slipped away, and his Northern Ireland Open return ended far earlier than he would have wanted.
