SNOOKER: Ronnie O'Sullivan crashed out of the Welsh Open today as he surrendered a 3-1 lead to lose 5-3 to Marco Fu. O'Sullivan looked to be in control at the mid-session interval but Fu rattled off four frames in a row to book his place in the quarter-finals.
Fu will now face either John Higgins or Neil Robertson, who clash this evening at the Newport Leisure Centre.
O’Sullivan was not at his fluent best but took a 2-0 lead nevertheless, before, with the reds spread far and wide, Fu hit back with a 117 total clearance in the third frame.
He then missed a routine red with the rest only two balls from sealing the fourth, another scrappy frame, but recovered to establish a 3-1 lead at the mid-session interval.
O’Sullivan put himself in the driving seat in the fifth with an excellent long opener before over-cutting a tough red to let Fu back in, the Hong Kong player taking a frame back with some fluid potting.
The Englishman opened frame six with a stunning red down the cushion before switching hands to play an awkward blue but an inexplicable miss on a simple pink again let in Fu, who took full advantage, clearing up to level.
Fu was really hitting his stride now and he picked out a long red at the start of the seventh. Both players had chances before Fu clinched the frame to edge 4-3 ahead.
And the man from Hong Kong finished things off in style, compiling a faultless 115 break to seal his place in the last eight.