Ronnie was beaten 6-3 by Chang Bingyu this morning, and I can’t say I’m surprised. Chang has played very all week, and Ronnie hasn’t been anywhere near his best. Actually, the way he played, it’s an achievement that he reached the semi-finals … The little pen “magic” wasn’t enough today 😔 …

Here is the report shared by WST:

Chang Fires Past The Rocket

Chang Bingyu scored his first ever win over seven-time World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, prevailing 6-3 to make the final of the Wuhan Open. 

The 24-year-old possesses a vast amount of talent and announced himself on the world stage last season. A superb run to the Scottish Open final saw him fall one match shy of a maiden ranking crown, losing out to Chris Wakelin. He also made 147s at UK Championship and World Championship qualifying to scoop a massive £147,000 bonus. 

Chang’s previous two meetings with O’Sullivan had ended in defeat, losing 4-1 at the 2020 Scottish Open and 6-5 at last season’s Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters. The Chinese cueman’s win today sees him progress to a second ranking event final.

Standing in the way of Chang and a maiden ranking crown will either be world number one-elect Zhao Xintong or back-to-back defending champion Xiao Guodong, who contest this evening’s second semi-final. 

O’Sullivan exits after a week where he has admitted exasperation with his form due to what he describes as a “disease” within his game. However, despite his troubles he still managed to score wins over the likes of Stephen Maguire and Mark Selby.

After claiming the first this afternoon, Chang followed up with 73 to win the second before O’Sullivan replied with 82 to make it 2-1. The next frame saw O’Sullivan clear from blue to black to steal and head into the mid-session all square at 2-2. 

When play resumed, Chang took the first two frames and establish a 4-2 advantage. O’Sullivan pulled one back but it was to no avail. Breaks of 69 and 48 saw Chang run out the victor and book his place in the title match. 

Chang said: “Every time I play against Ronnie, it’s a pleasure. He probably wasn’t in the best form today, and I managed to take some of the opportunities that came my way. I think my safety play was probably better right from the start today, and I could clearly feel that my safety game was much better than it had been before. 

“Last year in Saudi Arabia, I was 5-2 ahead but ended up letting him come back and win the match. My safety play probably wasn’t as good then as it is now. When I was ahead and he started pulling a few frames back, my mindset wobbled a little. Today I also had some of that, but I tried my best to stay calm.”

50-year-old O’Sullivan said: “The disease came back big time today. If I’m honest I don’t think I will ever get over it. I will see out the next 18 months and see how we go. I don’t want to throw the towel in just yet. I’ve committed to playing until then. I want to give myself a chance. I’d hate to finish my career on performances like that.“

Nobody goes on forever, and we, fans, must accept that. Me, as a Ronnie fan, I will try to enjoy his good moments in the future, knowing they may not come that often anymore, and I will cherish them all the more for it.

Some images shared onWeibo ….

And, probably unsurprisingly, Ronnie has withdrawn from the British Open, to be played next week:

O’Sullivan Withdraws From British Open

Ronnie O’Sullivan has pulled out of next week’s Unibet British Open for medical reasons. 

O’Sullivan was due to play Mateusz Baranowski on Monday August 31. He has been replaced in the draw by Mark Joyce.

The tournament in Cheltenham runs from August 31 to September 6.