Ronnie O’Sullivan suffers defeat in quest for huge £550,000 first prize at lucrative pool event in China
‘We didn’t think we would ever see that’ – TNT Sports experts discuss their moments of the season
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The seven-time world champion was making his tournament debut in the popular Heyball event (Chinese billiards) which is being held between May 28 and June 8 at the Deqing International Conference Center.
O’Sullivan had enjoyed wins over Ivan Kakovskiy (15-9) and Suung Kim (15-12), but found Zheng, who has won several events in the discipline, too strong in the various nuances of the game.
Heyball pool is played on a smaller sized snooker table using standard eight-ball pool balls, with pocket sizes more closely resembling snooker pockets than the wider pool variety.
Zheng enjoyed four break and runs, compared to one from O’Sullivan, and also enjoyed a 55% potting rate set against only 18% from The Rocket.
It is unlikely to be Rocket Ronnie’s final appearance in Heyball after admitting he was keen to improve his tactics on the smaller nine-foot table, which has rounded pockets and 57mm balls.
“I love playing snooker on this table with the pool balls, a new experience, and I’ve had a great time,” he said after competing against Zheng Yubo and Chu Bingjie in an exhibition in December.
Flashback: O’Sullivan’s ‘whirlwind’ century which fell just short of world record after VAR review
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O’Sullivan has already enjoyed a productive few weeks since losing 13-12 to John Higgins in the last 16 of the 50th World Championship at the Crucible in April.
He returned to the Crucible to claim the 2026 World Seniors Championship title on the back of a sensational five centuries to beat Joe Perry 10-4 on his debut in the event.
And then headed for Reading where he enjoyed a 10-5 final win against 2023 world champion Luca Brecel at the Snooker 900 Global Championship built on the back of five more tons.Add TNT Sports as a preferred source here to enjoy more content like this.The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is HBO Max, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports and entertainment in one destination
