Welsh Open: Ronnie O'Sullivan whitewashed 5-0 in quarter-finals by China's Tian Pengfei
- Published
Ronnie O'Sullivan won the Welsh Open in 2004. 2005, 2014 and 2016
Welsh Open 2023 |
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Venue: Venue Cymru, Llandudno Dates:13-19 February |
Coverage: Watch live on BBC Two Wales, BBC iPlayer, BBC Red Button, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport app. |
World champion and world number one Ronnie O'Sullivan is out of the Welsh Open in Llandudno after a shock 5-0 defeat by China's Tian Pengfei.
O'Sullivan, 47, was gunning for a record-equalling fifth Welsh Open crown, but he only potted four balls in the first two frames of a one-sided quarter-final.
Breaks of 66, 51 and 82 helped Tian lead 4-0 at the interval as seven-time world champion O'Sullivan struggled to produce his best form.
Tian, 35, beat four-time world champion John Higgins in the last 16 and secured a place in his first ranking semi-final with a 73 break.
O'Sullivan, who has had problems with his cue tip during the tournament at Venue Cymru, told BBC Wales: "I'm not going to make any excuses. Every mistake I made, I got punished by Tian."
Defeat also means O'Sullivan has failed to qualify for next week's prestigious Players Championship in Wolverhampton - the tournament for the top 16 players on the one-year ranking list.
Tian will take on Robert Milkins in the first of Saturday's semi-finals after the Englishman beat Mark Allen 5-1 on Friday night.
Earlier on Friday former world champion Shaun Murphy eased to an impressive 5-0 quarter-final victory over China's Yuan SiJun.
Murphy will face China's Pang Junxu in the second semi-final after he edged past England's Joe O'Connor 5-4.
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