Ronnie O’Sullivan’s title defence at the UK Championship ended at the first hurdle after losing 6-4 to Barry Hawkins in their first-round match.
The eight-time UK Championship winner got off to a strong start with a break of 128 with another century in the fourth frame.
O’Sullivan appeared to be cruising into the next round as Hawkins failed to find his rhythm in the early stages.
But the world No 20 soon found his groove and began to make O’Sullivan pay for his many errors.
Ronnie O’Sullivan lost to Barry Hawkins
PA
After holding a 4-2 lead, O’Sullivan lost the next four frames as he was left sat in his chair for the most part.
Hawkins, who needs a deep run in York to keep his hopes alive of qualifying for The Masters, has struggled to find results against O’Sullivan in the past
More to follow…