Ronnie O’Sullivan leaves TV viewers stunned as he bizarrely BITES TIP off cue after whitewash by Tian Pengfei
RONNIE O’SULLIVAN was booted out of the Welsh Open following a toothless display – and then bit off the tip of his cue in disgust.
Tian Pengfei produced the performance of his career to whitewash the reigning world champion 5-0 in the quarter-finals in Llandudno.
The Chinese star hit breaks of 66, 51, 82 and 73 as he reached the semi-finals of a ranking tournament for the first time.
O’Sullivan, 47, has struggled all week at the North Welsh seaside resort and on three separate occasions the tip of his equipment had broken off and bounced on the table after he had played a shot.
Though he refused to use this as an excuse for this heavy defeat, the world No.1 had had enough when the result was confirmed – by chewing off the dodgy tip while sitting in his seat.
This result means O’Sullivan will miss out on the 16-man Players Championship, which starts in Wolverhampton on Monday.
O’Sullivan said: “Tian played well, he deserved his victory. Wiped the floor with me. I have to accept whatever was going on out there.
“If I had to score myself out of 10 with my mindset, how I dealt with today, I’d give myself nine-and-a-half.
“Obviously, I didn’t pot the balls, so I was very low on that sort of area, but that’s the way it goes sometimes.
“With regards to the tip, I won’t make any excuses. It was what it was. You have to deal with whatever is put in front of you, and you have to accept it. It’s the same for everyone out there. That’s the way it goes.
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST NEW CUSTOMER SIGN UP DEALS
“That’s snooker, that’s reality. I have to deal with it. What else can I do?
“I tried my hardest, every mistake I made I got punished. Tian played some really good stuff. You have to give credit to him.
“You have to move on. What else can I do? I have a few tournaments to look forward to now – I can get ready for the Six-Reds in Thailand next month.”
Jimmy White, the six-time world championship finalist, was left gobsmacked watching the contest from the Eurosport studios.
The Whirlwind said: “Unbelievable. I don’t think there is a snooker fan in the world who would have predicted that score.
“Tian took his chances, he won a couple of close games, and in the last frame, he looked really comfortable out there. He took the balls really well in that last frame.
“But it has to be said Ronnie wasn’t at the races.”
Tian, who is ranked 49th in the world, will now play either Englishman Robert Milkins or Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen in the last four on Saturday.
Incorrectly described on Wikipedia as the “Big Bird”, the 35-year-old said: “Definitely, it’s the best win of my career.
“Especially playing a legend like Ronnie. I’m very pleased with today’s performance and to make the next round.
“I tried to enjoy the match, but even when I was 4-0 in front, you are still under pressure.
“This is a massive win, playing Ronnie on TV, with a lot of people watching in Asia and China, especially my parents. I’m very happy.
“I will try my best this weekend. Every match is tough. I played two matches on Thursday. I will try to enjoy my snooker.”
The day after making breaks of 145 and 147, No.11 seed Shaun Murphy became the first man to make the semi-finals with a 5-0 thumping of Yuan Sijun of China.