Ronnie O'Sullivan fell at the first hurdle in the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship, losing 4-0 to Shaun Murphy.
O'Sullivan was never at the races in what was an increasingly rare appearance as he failed to win a frame in a match of this length for the first time in two years.
Murphy, who had earlier won his qualifying match by the same scoreline and now progresses to face Zhao Xintong, was imperious from range but faced little resistance from his opponent.
One of the more unlikely misses of Ronnie O’Sullivan’s career.#Snooker pic.twitter.com/X7NTdTgtAt
— Nick Metcalfe (@Nick_Metcalfe) November 19, 2025
"I'm delighted, any win over Ronnie has to be celebrated," said Murphy.
"I have been playing well all season and it has been fantastic to carry my form through. It was wonderful to come out and play in front of a great audience. Ronnie has been packing out arenas since he was 17, he draws a crowd everywhere.
"I have a great team around me, my fiancée Jo is here, we have just got engaged. I feel I am riding the crest of a wave and I've got such a great life at home. I have always felt that your snooker reflects where you are in life and at the moment I couldn't be happier."
'As if it's beer mats underneath the table'
Meanwhile, John Higgins beat Ding Junhui by the same 4-0 scoreline before bemoaning the state of playing conditions, in particular the raised table which made life difficult for both players.
"There are so many... as if it's beer mats underneath the whole table and it's raised up," said Higgins, who registered two centuries.
"Somebody really needs to get told. I don't know who has passed that but it's pathetic for a million-pound tournament. It really is bad."
