Ronnie O’Sullivan has set himself an 18-month deadline to salvage his snooker career following a semi-final exit at the Wuhan Open.
The 50-year-old suffered a 6-3 defeat to Chang Bingyu after a sequence of uncharacteristic errors, ensuring an all-Chinese lineup for the ranking event’s final.
Having expressed frustration with his form throughout the week – referring to a “disease” in his game – O’Sullivan reflected candidly on his performance after the match.
Speaking to WST.TV, he 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.”
A break of 73 from Chang in the second frame proved to be the highest of a scrappy encounter. Although O’Sullivan fought back from 2-0 down to level the match, and later narrowed the deficit to 4-3, further missed opportunities allowed Chang to pull away and secure the victory.
The loss prolongs O’Sullivan’s wait for silverware, having not won a ranking tournament since January 2024. Meanwhile, 24-year-old Chang is now just one win away from claiming his maiden ranking title.
Following the match, WST confirmed that O’Sullivan has withdrawn from next week’s British Open in Cheltenham on medical grounds. Outside of the ‘triple crown’ events, O’Sullivan has not featured in a UK ranking tournament since the English Open in Brentwood in September 2024.
O’Sullivan is a seven-time world champion, putting him level with Stephen Hendry in the history books. He has previously spoken about his desire to move beyond the Scot before he retires from the sport, but time appears to be running out for O’Sullivan to achieve his goal.
‘The Rocket’ won his last world title back in 2022 when he beat Judd Trump 18-13 in the final. He has not made the final since, losing in the semi-finals last year, while he was knocked out in the second round at this year’s tournament.
