UK Snooker Championship 2020: Ronnie O'Sullivan stunned by Alexander Ursenbacher in thriller

ByEurosport

Updated 29/11/2020 at 22:28 GMT

The 24-year-old, who had to go back to Q school last year, knocked out the world champion in the second biggest ranking event on the tour with a sensational performance in Milton Keynes, seeing off the snooker great in a best-of-eleven decider. Watch the tournament live on Eurosport, eurosport.co.uk and the Eurosport app.

Ronnie O'Sullivan in action in the UK Championship

Image credit: Eurosport

Alexander Ursenbacher has stunned seven-time UK champion Ronnie O'Sulivan 6-5 to reach the last-32 of the UK Championships at the Marshall Arena.

"He played really well, he deserved his victory." O'Sullivan told Eurosport post-match.

"I don't think I've ever come off a match thinking 'If I deserve to lose I've probably lost' and that's how I felt out there. I thought I did well to get five frames, the score flattered me. It should have been 6-1.

World Championship

'Nowhere near right!' - O'Sullivan and ref in re-spot confusion over correct mark

00:02:27

9 hours ago

"I just dragged him down to my level and he probably got to 5-4 and he probably thought he was playing the better snooker. That's the way it goes, but back here Monday morning for the Scottish Championship."

UK Championship 2020 LIVE

Ronnie O'Sullivan - 'I deserved to lose, the scoreline flattered me'

O’Sullivan adopted his usual tactic of playing on when the frame was long lost in the opener. Ursenbacher made 67 before missing the black en route to clearing the colours.

The Swiss then extended his lead by doubling the blue and cut the pink, but O'Sullivan responded in the third with 68 before a push shot chucked four the way of Ursenbacher. Nevertheless, Ursenbacher continued to impress by potting a difficult yellow and green to register 34 and ultimately the fourth frame.

The fifth was also tightly-contested but Ursenbacher saw enough when an additional 30 points took O'Sullivan past the winning post.

The Rocket continued to misfire in a pivotal sixth. Ursenbacher negotiated a difficult green to brown, using the rest, with almost effortless ease and picked off the remaining colours. The sequence was enough for Ronnie to stand up and leave the arena before he returned to pot the straight black to left middle.

The Rocket, refusing to back down, registered a half century to force a best-of-three decider.

Ursenbacher for the first time would have to come back from behind as O’Sullivan kicked it off with a break of 59, but the Swiss Fish duly delivered and forced an eleventh frame after spectacularly potting two reds in one shot.

In the final frame, Ursenbacher stitched together a mini-break that proved decisive, racing to 68 before an additional 36 points was enough for O'Sullivan to concede defeat.