Barry Hawkins claimed the scalp of defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan in the last 32 of the UK Championship in York, battling back from 4-2 behind to win 6-4.
Things looked to be running to script for O'Sullivan, chasing a ninth UK Championship title this week, when breaks of 128 and 114 put him 3-1 in front at the mid-session interval.
However, a couple of wayward attempts from distance in frame five hinted that all wasn't right with O'Sullivan, and though he still managed to maintain his two-frame advantage when leading 4-2, his faltering game left the door ajar for his opponent.
And Hawkins took his opportunity with both hands, producing a stunning sequence of four frames to beat O'Sullivan for the first time since the 2016 World Championships and book his place in the last 16.
Runs of 73 and 75 allowed Hawkins to level the scores, and the one-way traffic continued as the 2021 semi-finalist closed out the match with further breaks of 88 and 60.
In the final four frames, O'Sullivan only managed 12 points as his title defence ended at the first hurdle.
"It’s been eight years since I beat him so it’s a massive win for me," said Hawkins. "So many times I’ve been in this position against him and I’ve just crumbled, but I didn’t crumble today.
"I’m so proud of the way I stood up and took it the way I did. Hopefully it will give me more confidence. If I can’t take confidence from a win like that, I don’t know what’s wrong."
Murphy hangs tough to beat Zhao
Shaun Murphy kept his cool to see off former champion Zhao Xintong.
Murphy was firmly in control of proceedings when racing into a 3-0 lead, but he twice let slip big leads as Zhao took the match all the way.
Shaun Murphy lived and breathed that match. Good news for the game, as a fired up Murphy sniffing the big prizes is a great snooker sight. pic.twitter.com/Bxb4y7BV6A
— Nick Metcalfe (@Nick_Metcalfe) November 23, 2024
It was Murphy who would have the final say, though, controlling the deciding frame to progress to the next round.
In the evening session, David Gilbert held off a fightback from Xiao Guodong to win 6-4.
Gilbert had made runs of 53, 72 and 98 to open up a 4-2 lead only for Xiao to fight back with a couple of half-century breaks.
World number 22 Gilbert, though, closed out the match by taking the next two frames, finishing off with a break of 63 to set up a second-round match against Hawkins.
On the other table, Ding Junhui beat Robert Milkins 6-5, sealing victory with a break of 63 after registering a 135 break in frame 10 to force a decider.
