Sports28 August, 20262 min read
Ronnie O'Sullivan Beaten 6-3 by Chang Bingyu in Wuhan Open Semi-Finals
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O'Sullivan lost 6-3 to Chang Bingyu in Wuhan Open semi-finals. Chang Bingyu advances to the final, ensuring an all-Chinese title match.
Wuhan exit, deadline set
Ronnie O'Sullivan was beaten 6-3 by Chang Bingyu in the Wuhan Open semi-finals on Friday, after the seven-time world champion said his game was affected by a “disease.” O'Sullivan, who had fought back against Mark Selby in the quarter-finals to seal a 5-3 victory, told WST.TV: “The disease came back big time today.” After the defeat, he set an 18-month deadline to revive his career, saying: “I will see out the next 18 months and see how we go.”
“WST revealed that O’Sullivan has pulled out of next week’s British Open in Cheltenham for medical reasons.”
The loss left O'Sullivan facing a further wait for silverware, with the BBC noting he has not won a ranking event for more than two years. Soon after his Wuhan exit, WST revealed O'Sullivan pulled out of next week’s British Open in Cheltenham for medical reasons, with the tournament running from August 31 to September 6.
Quotes, match details, replacement
Sky Sports described O'Sullivan as “far from his best” in the Wuhan Open semi-final, where Chang took an early 2-0 lead with a break of 73 and O'Sullivan responded with a frame-winning break of 82 to make it 2-2. O'Sullivan’s frustration spilled into the match as Sky Sports said he almost whacked his cue in frustration several times, and he later insisted he would not “throw the towel in just yet.” In the same period, the World Snooker Tour statement said O'Sullivan “was due to play Mateusz Baranowski on Monday, August 31,” before adding that “He has been replaced in the draw by Mark Joyce.”
The BBC also quoted Chang Bingyu saying: “Every time I play against Ronnie, it's a pleasure,” after Chang booked Saturday’s final with the 6-3 win. With O'Sullivan’s withdrawal, the British Open draw shifted immediately in Cheltenham, where the World Snooker Tour said the tournament runs from August 31 to September 6.
Next steps and what’s at risk
O'Sullivan’s comments tied his immediate future to his ability to “cure the disease,” with Sky Sports quoting him saying: “I’m going to give it a really good go to try and cure the disease.” He also framed his plan around the same 18-month window, telling WST.TV: “I’ve committed to playing until then,” after the Wuhan Open semi-final defeat. The BBC set the stakes for the next phase of the season by noting Chang will face new world number one Zhao Xintong in the final, after Zhao’s 6-2 win over Xiao Guodong.
With O'Sullivan missing the British Open for the fourth year in a row, Wales Online said he has not featured in a UK ranking tournament since September 2024 outside of Triple Crown events. For the Wuhan Open itself, SnookerHQ described the semi-final schedule at the Optics Valley Gymnasium on Friday, August 28th, with Chang Bingyu vs Ronnie O’Sullivan at 07:00 BST and Zhao Xintong vs Xiao Guodong at 12:30 BST.