Ronnie O’Sullivan has suffered one of the all-time sporting shocks after being beaten by James Cahill, the first amateur to play at the World Championship, at the Crucible on Tuesday afternoon.
The world No 1 lost 10-8 having trailed 5-4 after the opening session of their first-round match in Sheffield. The five-times champion had looked out of sorts but rallied upon his return to the table and tied the match at 8-8 after producing a break of 89. But Cahill, the 23-year-old from Blackpool whose highest world ranking is 76th, kept his nerve to win the final two frames.
O’Sullivan has previously complained of suffering from insomnia and did look tired as he sat in his chair between frames. Nevertheless, he can have few excuses for such a jaw-dropping loss.
“I’ve always believed in myself and I’ve always believed I can beat anyone,” said Cahill, who turned professional in 2013 before losing his tour card. “I’ve shown that today.
“I thought I was going to fall over at one point. I thought I’d be nervous when I went out there today but I wasn’t. I was a bit tense in parts but I think I have shown quite a bit of bottle. It was nice to qualify and it was nice to beat Ronnie.”
Speaking about his insomnia, and the impact it had on him, O’Sullivan said: “My limbs feel very heavy, I’m drained, I have no energy, I’m struggling to stay awake. I feel absolutely horrendous.
Stuart Bingham v Stephen Hendry (2000): Seven-time champion Hendry was expected to get the latest defence of his title off to a straightforward start against world No 97 Bingham, who was making his Crucible debut after coming through the qualifiers. Hendry led 5-4 after the opening session but Bingham won five of the next six frames and produced a break of 87 to send Hendry crashing out on the opening day.
Tony Knowles v Steve Davis (1982): Davis had won the first of his six world titles the previous year and was an odds-on favourite to defend his crown. Bolton qualifier Knowles had other ideas however, racing into an 8-1 overnight lead and winning the first two frames the following day to seal a stunning victory.
Michael Wasley v Ding Junhui (2014): Wasley was making his Crucible debut against an in-form Ding, who came into the event on the back of winning five ranking titles during the season. Ding looked in command when he led 6-3, but Wasley recovered to trail 9-8 before the players were forced to come back for a rare third session after overrunning their allocated time slot. World No 73 Wasley produced a break of 103 to force a decider which he clinched on the final pink after midnight.
David Gray v Ronnie O’Sullivan (2000): O’Sullivan had reached the semi-finals in 1999 and won the first of his five world titles in 2001, but in between suffered a shock defeat to Gray, who went on to lose 13-1 to Dominic Dale in the second round. O’Sullivan led 5-1 and 9-7 but could not scramble over the line and Gray held his nerve to secure a famous win.
Rory McLeod v Judd Trump (2017): Trump was among the favourites for the title in 2017 and faced 1,000-1 outsider McLeod in the opening round, but could only manage a top break of 65 in a low-scoring contest. McLeod’s highest break was only 77 but he played gritty match snooker to overcome an early deficit to win 10-8. PA
“You have to come here feeling good. Mentally I was up for it – I’ve had a good season – and I tried to hang in there. But he [Cahill] has come here and played brilliantly. Fair play to him.”
Cahill will face Scotland’s Stephen Maguire in the second round.