Five-time World Snooker Champion Ronnie O'Sullivan has suffered a shock first-round exit at the World Championships in Sheffield.
Facing amateur debutant James Cahill, O'Sullivan went down 10-8 after a tense final session in the Crucible.
Suffering a second-round exit at the hands of Ali Carter in 2018, this first-round exit marks O'Sullivan's worst performance in the tournament for 16-years.
'The biggest upset in the history of the World Championship!'
Amateur debutant @JamesCahill147 has knocked out the GOAT @ronnieo147 in the first round at the Crucible! pic.twitter.com/Xp9mhHPdfB— Eurosport (@eurosport) April 23, 2019
Here's the moment @JamesCahill147 secured the biggest win of his career! 🙌#ilovesnooker @Betfred pic.twitter.com/FWjeyOeSM0
— World Snooker Tour (@WeAreWST) April 23, 2019
Trailing 5-4 going into this morning's opening session, an admittedly tired looking O'Sullivan slipped further as Cahill established an 8-5 lead.
Ominously for the young snooker player without even a world ranking number, however, Ronnie O'Sullivan rallied well and restored parity at 8-8.
From there, it only looked to be going one way. Yet, as O'Sullivan missed the opportunity to take a 9-8 lead with what appeared a fairly routine pot of the pink, Cahill demonstrated incredible resolve to make one of the clears of the match.
'That is what pressure does, folks' 😰@JamesCahill147 is now just one frame away from a MASSIVE shock at the Crucible that would send @ronnieo147 home after the first round#ilovesnooker pic.twitter.com/r6TvWrjkh9
— Eurosport (@eurosport) April 23, 2019
MASSIVE FRAME.@JamesCahill147 is one frame away from knocking out the World No.1!#ilovesnooker @Betfred pic.twitter.com/w0E4bOLzwl
— World Snooker Tour (@WeAreWST) April 23, 2019
An incredible result for the young man making his first appearance at the World Snooker Championships, O'Sullivan's surprise exit comes on the back of what had been a strong run of form from the world ranking #1.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
