Ronnie O'Sullivan 'looks lost' as snooker icon sparks concern in Shaun Murphy trouncing

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Ronnie O'Sullivan suffered a 4-0 loss to Shaun Murphy in the opening round of the Champion of Champions tournament on Wednesday ...

Ronnie O'Sullivan looked 'lost' during his first-round exit at the Champion of Champions on Wednesday, according to concerned snooker fans. The 'Rocket' endured a 4-0 rout from Shaun Murphy at Leicester's Mattioli Arena, struggling to match the pace of the 'Magician' throughout. The seven-time world champion has participated in fewer and fewer tournaments as the years have passed, making just six appearances in 2026 ahead of the Champion of Champions in the form of the Shanghai Masters, the China Open, the Wuhan Open, the English Open, the Shenzhen Open and the Northern Ireland Open.

Wednesday's encounter with long-time rival Murphy, however, was the poorest performance of the year for the 50-year-old, failing to take a single frame from the 4-0 trouncing. Murphy took the first 81-43, the second 69-30, the third 77-4 and the fourth 61-42 to send O'Sullivan packing in shock fashion.

And fans took to social media to note how troubled the 'Rocket' looked on the baize. One said: "Ronnie O'Sullivan looks lost. Quite possibly the worst version of Ronnie I've ever seen.

"Sad because his determination is very clearly there. He's doubting himself, rushing key shots and doesn't look like he can match the top 10 in the world. I hope he finds his confidence."

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A second added: "The Magician whitewashes the Rocket as he books his place in tonight's group stage final. Concerning times for Ronnie, the next big one is the UK Championship and he goes into that with no real form, hopefully he can turn his form around."

A third also said: " Risky tweet. Ronnie O’Sullivan looks done, doesn’t he? Can’t see him getting anywhere near another major. I knew the day would come, but still not easy to take."

Others, meanwhile, argued that consistency is the key to success for O'Sullivan, who has pulled out of numerous tournaments to focus on his health and wellbeing…

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