Defending champion Judd Trump is out of the World Open after a 5-2 defeat to Joe O’Connor in the last 32 of the event in Yushan.
The world number one had won the last two editions of the event and came in as favourite to make it a hat-trick.
He looked very strong in beating Xing Zihao 5-0 and Long Zehuang 5-1 in his first two matches, extending a winning run in the tournament to 16 games, but couldn’t keep it up against his fellow Englishman.
O’Connor made breaks of 64 and 89 to go 2-0 ahead, Trump levelled the game, but then breaks of 51, 69 and 113 gave the Leicester man a huge win.
Trump had chances to win the fifth, sixth and seventh frames but was not at his brilliant best and suffered a rare early defeat.
‘Really good,’ O’Connor said of how he feels after the brilliant result. ‘Any win over someone of Judd’s calibre makes you feel over the moon.
‘I just enjoy being out there against the best in the world, luckily for me this was my day and I won.’
It is a big turnaround from the last time the two met, with Trump winning 5-0 when they played in the German Masters in January.
The world number 39 moves into the last 16 where he will take on Michael Holt after he beat Antoni Kowalski 5-1 in the same session.
Trump’s exit follows some other substantial shocks early in the tournament in Yushan, after Mark Selby and Mark Allen both lost their opening games in China.
Selby was downed 5-2 by Liu Hongyu, while Allen was beaten 5-4 by David Lilley.
Another big upset saw Wuhan Open champion Xiao Guodong beaten 5-4 by Duane Jones after leading the Welshman 4-0.
With big names tumbling out of the event and the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan and Luca Brecel withdrawing, the draw is opening up in Yushan and there are opportunities for some lower-ranked players to go deep.
However, there are some heavyweight predators still going, with the likes of world champion Kyren Wilson and Masters champ Shaun Murphy looking good.
The Magician battered Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 5-0 in his last 32 outing, with breaks of 83, 94, 94, 85 and 138.
‘I was very very pleased with my performance today,’ said Murphy. ‘Thepchaiya is a very dangerous opponent, somebody I respect a lot, but he could have won 5-0 in an hour, he’s that good.
‘You have to try and keep players like him at bay and today I did that and when I got my chances I was delighted with how I played.’
Wilson has his last 32 in the second session on Tuesday against Zhou Yuelong.
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