2026 Northern Ireland Open: Ronnie O'Sullivan loses to qualifier in rare UK outing

Having played beautifully to lead 3-1, O’Sullivan was ousted by Hong Kong qualifier Cheung, 4-3, in the £550,400 world ranking event held at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast.

Cheung - who several weeks ago navigated two preliminary rounds to reach these televised stages - took a low-scoring opening frame in the best-of-seven encounter.

But within the space of half-an-hour, O'Sullivan burst into action, compiling breaks of 56, 138 and 72 to move one frame away from progression.

World number 13 O'Sullivan also got the scoring going in frame five, but unexpectedly missed a red when amongst the balls. Former World Snooker Federation Champion Cheung - who didn't post a single point across the three previous frames - fully capitalised with an effort of 88 to extend the contest.

And after O’Sullivan missed a routine brown near the start of frame six, 27-year-old Cheung punished with a 70 to force the match into an unexpected deciding frame.

Once again, O’Sullivan looked like doing damage as he scored first in the final frame, but botched a straightforward blue into a middle pocket. Cheung coolly replied with an effort of 60 to leave his opponent needing penalty points, and it wasn’t too long until he potted another red that resulted in a concession from O’Sullivan.

Earlier this year, Cheung was relegated from the professional ranks but bounced back immediately through the Q School. This result represents the best win of his professional career, as he moves into the last 32 of a ranking tournament for the third time. He’ll face either Stuart Bingham or Yao Pengcheng later in the week.

O’Sullivan’s wait for a professional title continues

Seven-times World Champion O’Sullivan is currently enduring a title drought with his last professional title coming in March 2024, and the last of his record 41 ranking crowns having been a couple of months before that. For the first time in his top tier snooker career, he went trophyless in back-to-back seasons.

There have been several signature moments during that period, though; making two maximum 147 breaks during the same match at the 2025 Saudi Arabia Masters, and compiling the highest-ever break in professional snooker history with a 153 at the World Open earlier this year. Later in those events, O’Sullivan reached the final but was denied the title.

Before Belfast, all of 50-year-old O’Sullivan’s playing engagements this season had come in China. He did make the semi-finals of the Wuhan Open - where he lost to eventual champion Chang Bingyu - but the rest of his campaign, so far, has been largely frustrating affair for him. At the last tournament, the Shenzhen Open, he bowed out in the opening round to Jiang Jun, and now his green baize frustrations continue.

Having resided in Dubai for over a year now, O’Sullivan’s professional playing appearances in the UK have become sparse.

Last season, the Englishman played just three top-flight matches on home soil: losing first round to Zhou Yuelong at the UK Championship in York, and at the World Championship in Sheffield where he eliminated He Guoqiang before being pipped by fellow ‘Class of 92’ graduate John Higgins in the last 16.

O’Sullivan’s outing on Monday in Belfast was his first appearance in the Northern Ireland Open since 2022.

Having withdrawn from the International Championship qualifiers a few weeks ago, O’Sullivan’s next scheduled engagement on the snooker circuit will come at the Champion of Champions invitational in Leicester - an event he has suggested he may feature in.

To view the full draw, results, schedule, and other information from the 2026 Northern Ireland Open, visit our tournament information centre here.