Ronnie O’Sullivan crashes out of first snooker tournament of the season despite being favourite
THE new snooker season hasn’t started as many expected it to.
Ronnie O’Sullivan has been dumped from the first event of the 2024/25 campaign – the Championship League Snooker tournament.
The Rocket went into the tournament as favourite, but was instead eliminated from the group stages of the competition on Tuesday.
O’Sullivan, 48, was drawn in a group with amateur Kayden Brierley and two low ranked opponents in Mitchell Mann and He Guoqiang.
But despite a relatively simple group for the seven-time world champion, he was found out in two of his ranking matches.
O’Sullivan got off to a winning start with a 3-0 victory over amateur Brierley.
However it went down hill after that as he couldn’t beat Mitchell Mann, playing out a 2-2 draw on the felt.
The standings meant that O’Sullivan needed a win against 23-year-old He Guoqiang.
But the Chinese potter, ranked number 66 in the world, breezed past his veteran opponent winning 3-0 and topping the group as a result.
It was O’Sullivan’s first time at the table since his quarter-final exit in the World Championships at the Crucible last month.
Inside Ronnie's colourful career
FROM his lightning breaks to blasts at officials, Ronnie O'Sullivan has fired snooker into the spotlight.
The seven-time world champion makes almost as big an impact away from the table as on it.
O’Sullivan has three children – two daughters and a son.
And the Rocket’s on-off relationship with British actress Laila Rouass has also hit the headlines.
He has opened up on battles with his weight and addiction.
While the controversial cueist reckons he wasted NINE YEARS of his career by partying too hard.
Despite being worth £14million, O’Sullivan is renowned for his love of canal boats and snubbing flashy cars.
His rivalry with fellow star Judd Trump has been branded ‘snooker’s greatest feud’.
And Ali Carter had his nose knocked out of joint by the Rocket in their infamous ‘Snotgate’ row.
Check out all our latest Ronnie O’Sullivan articles.
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The 41-time ranking title winner was beaten 13-10 by Stuart Bingham that day, seeing him miss out on the mega £500,000 grand prize on offer to the champ.
And his exit from the Championship League Snooker group stages on Tuesday means he will also wave goodbye to a potential £33,000 pay day.
O’Sullivan is well aware of the business side of the game too and made it clear after his crucible exit last month that he will be choosing his events carefully going forward.
Suggesting he may play less in the UK, he said: “There are only so many days I allow myself to be away from home.
“World Snooker is a commercial business and I decided I had to be commercial to enjoy being on the tour.
“I don’t just turn up to events, there is a tax to be paid and if people are prepared to pay it I will get my cue out of its case.
“If not I am content to never ever play again and do other stuff.”