Ronnie O’Sullivan was stunned by Elliot Slessor for the second time this season as he crashed out of the Fuhua Group China Open with a 6-2 defeat in the last-64, despite a 147-break. Slessor is ranked 71 places below O’Sullivan but he also knocked the Rocket out of the Northern Ireland Open in November. O’Sullivan made the 14th maximum break of his competitive career in frame five but it was not enough to defy Slessor, who went through to the last-32 in Beijing to face Tom Ford.
O’Sullivan is enjoying the best season of his career, winning five of the 11 ranking events he has contested but he felt the better player prevailed in China. “Elliot played a fantastic match, he kept potting balls and there wasn’t a lot I could do about it,” said the five-time world champion. “The 147 was nice for me and nice for the fans. Obviously I would have preferred to win the match, but a 147 is a good second prize. Slessor, 23, led 4-0 when O’Sullivan notched his maximum break but he remained composed and duly traded frames from that point on to win 6-2.
He says he thrives on the challenge of taking on the world’s best players. “I love playing the top names in front of a crowd, that’s what I practise for,” he said. “I don’t feel intimidated by them because I know if I play my best, I can compete. I knew Ronnie would come back at me after the interval so I just had to make the most of my chances.” Slessor is 5/4 to win this last-32 match against Ford, who is favourite at 8/13 to advance.