Ronnie O'Sullivan's poor run continued as he was beaten 5-2 by lowly-ranked Jiang Jun at the Shenzhen Open on Monday.
O'Sullivan has endured a modest start to the new season as his quest for a first ranking-title win since January 2024 continues.
The seven-time world champion recently described the troubles with his game as a 'disease' and this was another disappointing showing that left him visibly frustrated.
And in truth, the writing was on the wall from an early stage, the 21-year-old Jiang looking composed as he raced into a 2-0 lead.
O'Sullivan sparked into life with runs of 92 and 52 to quickly draw level, but he made a string of mistakes thereafter as Jiang won the next three frames decisively, the last with a century.
Jiang told World Snooker Tour: "O'Sullivan is a legendary player. I've watched him and learned from him since I was a kid.
"I had never played against a top player like him before, so this was my first time.
"If I get the opportunity in the future, I hope I can play against players like him more often and learn from them."
