Ronnie O’Sullivan stunned by amateur in World Championship first round

Five-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan was stunned in the first round of the 2019 World Championship, as he was beaten 10-8 by amateur player James Cahill.

In what may be the biggest shock in Crucible history, a struggling and exhausted-looking O’Sullivan failed to take advantage of some simple chances against his opponent. But that is not to take anything away from Cahill, who showed excellent composure to secure the victory.

O’Sullivan came into the final session 5-4 down, and he was unable to string any form together against the qualifier. He won the first frame of the day, producing an excellent 97 to level, but then Cahill took advantage of a series of unexpectedly poor shots by O’Sullivan to win the next three frames.

The five-time world champion fought back, making breaks of 104 and 89 to level at 8-8, and it looked like he was going to take the lead. However, he missed a simple final pink, and Cahill stole the frame, moving to within one of victory.

The first chance was O’Sullivan’s, and he had a bit of bad luck – while potting the blue, he opened the pack and inadvertently potted a red. Cahill came to the table with a lot to do and a lot of pressure on his shoulders – it was a good chance, but could he take it? The answer, it transpired, was yes – a composed break of 53 was enough to win the match and produce a major upset.

After the match, Cahill said: “I could barely stand up at the end. I am not really sure what to say. I scored a good pressure 70 to go 6-5 up and after that I felt like he was the one under pressure. He didn’t want to lose to me. I have always believed in myself and that I can beat anyone on my day. I want to show what I can do now.”

O’Sullivan said: “You have to come here physically and mentally well. If you are not 100% it will make it harder. I tried to hang in there and get through and have a few days off. He did well. He held himself together. It’s been a very successful season for me, but it wasn’t meant to be. There are two ways of looking at it. One is, he has come here and played brilliantly. But I also left him some easy chances.”

Cahill will earn £30,000 for reaching the second round, the biggest payday of his career, and he will face Stephen Maguire next. The odds massively favour Maguire, but that was true of O’Sullivan too, so who knows how far Cahill may progress into the tournament now? As it stands, with O’Sullivan’s elimination, Neil Robertson and Judd Trump are the new favourites to lift the title.