Cheung Upsets O’Sullivan in Northern Ireland Open Return
Ronnie O’Sullivan’s bid to revive his form at the Northern Ireland Open ended in a narrow 4‑3 defeat to world‑ranked 110 Ka Wai Cheung in Belfast. After a strong start from the Hong Kong qualifier, the 50‑year‑old champion rallied to win three consecutive frames, only for Cheung to mount a comeback that saw him clinch the final three frames.
The victory marked Cheung’s first win in a main‑draw knockout match at a ranking event, and it earns him a clash with Stuart Bingham for a place in the last‑16. O’Sullivan became the eighth top‑16 player to fall among the nine who have competed at the Waterfront Hall so far, a tally later increased when Judd Trump was edged 4‑3 by fellow Englishman Martin O’Donnell.
O’Donnell, ranked 56th, led three times during his encounter with Trump, who answered each surge to level the match before the Englishman secured the deciding frame. Trump compiled breaks of 91, 94 and 52, while O’Donnell responded with three breaks of 50 or more to claim his first win over the former world champion and world number three.
Other top players also exited early. Mark Selby, Neil Robertson, Xiao Guodong, Shaun Murphy and Ali Carter were eliminated on Sunday, while Chris Wakelin, Barry Hawkins, Trump and O’Sullivan bowed out on Monday. O’Sullivan had not competed in a UK tournament since his 13‑12 second‑round loss to John Higgins at the World Championship in April, and his return to the NI Open was his first since 2022 and his first Home Nations event since the 2024 English Open.
The match began with Cheung taking the opening frame, but O’Sullivan answered by winning the next three with breaks of 56, 138 and 72, putting him ahead 3‑1. A missed red in the fifth frame allowed Cheung to claim it with an 88 break. Cheung’s confidence grew as he forced a deciding frame with a 77 break, and a further miss from O’Sullivan gave the 27‑year‑old a chance to finish the match, which he did with a 61 break.
After the win, Cheung told BBC Sport NI, “I’m very happy that I can still play well under pressure. To be honest, as you can see in the arena, Ronnie had a lot of fans. I was actually scared a little bit before the match but this is the best experience. No matter if I had lost or won, I think it is the best experience for my snooker career and that is all I need. To play the legend of the game and to win, this is very satisfying for me.”
In the afternoon session on Monday, Barry Hawkins fell 4‑2 to Daniel Wells, while former world champion and 2024 NI Open winner Kyren Wilson advanced with a comfortable 4‑0 victory over Ben Mertens. Chris Wakelin was beaten 4‑1 by Jamie Jones, and Luca Brecel edged Lei Peifan by the same scoreline. The evening session featured further action, including a match involving Scottish veteran John Higgins.