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Ronnie O’Sullivan crashes out of World Championship as Zhao Xintong thrashes legend
Ronnie O’Sullivan has been dumped out of the World Championship having been thumped by the excellent Zhao Xintong. The Chinese star, who won with a session to spare, has reached his first Crucible final with a 17-7 victory and will learn tomorrow whether he will play Judd Trump or Mark Williams.
Zhao whitewashed O’Sullivan during the morning session in Sheffield. That fine display of cueing put the 28-year-old into a huge 12-4 lead heading into this evening’s action. He then calmly secured the five frames he needed to see off the seven-time world champion, despite a slightly better display from the snooker icon. Zhao’s nerveless performance will make him a strong contender to win a tournament in which he remarkably started as a qualifier. Victory over Trump or Williams would make him the first world champion to hail from Asia.
