Ronnie O’Sullivan was unable to explain why he lost to Barry Hawkins in the first round of the UK Championship.
It’s been a difficult season for the snooker icon having won just two of his last seven matches.
As the first major of the season, the UK Championship was seen as an opportunity for O’Sullivan to rediscover his best form.
And he got off to the perfect start against Hawkins with a break of 128 and another century to open up a 4-2 lead.
Ronnie O’Sullivan was dumped out of the first round
PA
But the momentum shifted after O’Sullivan missed a red into the middle pocket in the seventh frame.
Hawkins sensed an opportunity and made no mistake as he rattled off four frames in a row to knock the defending champion out.
O’Sullivan picked up just 12 points after that missed red in the seventh frame and paid credit to Hawkins for beating him fair and square.
When asked what he thought went wrong, O’Sullivan said: “I don’t know really.
“I just lost a snooker match. Barry played better than me and deserved his win.
“I felt ok but I don’t think I got much of a shot… I don’t even know if I potted a ball from 4-2 onwards.
“I just felt like I sat on my chair a lot.”
He added: “A little bit [disappointed] because I felt like I’d been playing ok in practice for a change.
“It’s a bit disappointing, but practice and match form are completely different.
“Just not taking it out there at the moment.”
Barry Hawkins hadn’t beaten Ronnie O’Sullivan since 2016
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It was the first time Hawkins managed to beat O’Sullivan since the 2016 World Championships.
O’Sullivan had won the previous nine matches against Hawkins, who was delighted to end his barren spell against the 23-time Triple Crown winner.
“I don’t even know when I beat him last so over the moon to beat him and over the moon more so how I felt,” Hawkins said.
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Ronnie O’Sullivan scored just 12 points in the final four frames
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“I felt good and felt confident towards the end.
“I just saw Ronnie’s interview. I think at 4-2 he missed a red into the middle. Big turning point. He let me back in the match really.
“After that I got stronger and kept him out.”