Ronnie O’Sullivan agonisingly crashes out of International Championship in third round to world No26 Pang Junxu
RONNIE O’SULLIVAN has been dumped OUT of the International Championship.
The Rocket lost 6-4 to Pang Junxu in the third round in Nanjing, China.
The Chinese star, 24, rattled off an impressive break at 4-4, falling just shy of an emphatic 147.
And he wrapped up victory in style with another superb century break.
O’Sullivan survived a big scare in his opening match as Mink Nutcharut threatened to become the first woman to beat him in his 32-year career.
But he prevailed 6-3 eventually before a very classy gesture to the Thai superstar at the end.
Ronnie then beat He Guoqiang in the last 64 to book his third-round clash with Pang.
But the No5 was stunned against the world No26.
Pang reached the semi-finals at the Northern Ireland Open last month.
And he continued his fine form by earning the biggest scalp of his snooker career.
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He claimed the opening before being pegged back by O’Sullivan’s break of 81.
Pang made it 2-1 then O’Sullivan levelled things up again.
The Chinese ace took the lead for the third time.
And he broke the trend by making it 4-2 with a break of 73.
O’Sullivan battled back with frames seven and eight.
But then Pang turned on the style with his brilliant finale.
His break of 120 included clearing all 15 reds with blacks before missing a difficult yellow.
And he went even better in the tenth and final frame with a stunning 123 to send O’Sullivan packing.
The Essex potter was expected to set up a last-16 showdown with long-term rival Ali Carter at the International Championship.
However, Carter also suffered a shock defeat, losing 6-4 to Welshman Jackson Page.
The winner of Sunday’s final will pick up a cool £175,000 prize pot.
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.