Ka Wai Cheung rallies from 3-1 down to knock O'Sullivan out in Belfast

Ka Wai Cheung overturned a 3-1 deficit to beat Ronnie O'Sullivan 4-3 in the first round of the Northern Ireland Open in Belfast on Monday, 19 October. The Hong Kong player, ranked 110th in the world, won the last three frames at the Waterfront Hall. BBC Sport NI reported that it was Cheung's first victory in a main-draw knockout match at a ranking event.

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Cheung took the opening frame before O'Sullivan established control with three successive frames. Breaks of 56, 138 and 72 put the seven-time world champion one frame away from victory. O'Sullivan was appearing at the Northern Ireland Open for the first time since 2022 and had reached the final of the tournament on three occasions.

The match turned after O'Sullivan missed a red in the fifth frame. Cheung responded with a break of 88, then added 77 in the sixth to force a decider. Another miss from O'Sullivan provided an opening in the final frame, and the 27-year-old completed his comeback with a run of 61. Those three scoring contributions carried him from the brink of defeat to a second-round place.

Speaking to BBC Sport NI afterwards, Cheung said he was pleased to have performed under pressure. He acknowledged feeling nervous before the match because of the strong support for O'Sullivan in the arena, but described facing and beating him as a particularly satisfying experience. The result set up a second-round meeting with Stuart Bingham for a place in the last 16.

O'Sullivan was not the only leading player eliminated on Monday. Judd Trump also lost 4-3, beaten by Martin O'Donnell in a deciding frame after drawing level three times. O'Donnell, ranked 56th, recorded his first win over Trump. Barry Hawkins went out 4-2 to Daniel Wells, while Chris Wakelin suffered a 4-1 defeat against Jamie Jones.

There were more comfortable wins elsewhere in the draw. Kyren Wilson, the 2024 Northern Ireland Open champion, defeated Ben Mertens 4-0 to reach round two, and Luca Brecel beat Lei Peifan 4-1. O'Sullivan's defeat left the world number 13 with an early exit on his first appearance at a Home Nations event since the English Open in September 2024.