Ronnie O’Sullivan makes blunder not shown on TV moments after World Championship exit | Other | Sport

Ronnie O’Sullivan left the Crucible without his cue case following his dramatic World Snooker Championship defeat against John Higgins on Monday. The Rocket fell to a 13-12 loss with Higgins coming out on top in a final frame decider.

Following the loss, O’Sullivan lived up to his nickname. After shaking the hand of both his opponent and the referee, he quickly made his way out of the arena.

While it wasn’t picked up by TV cameras, the Sun spotted that the 50-year-old had made a blunder by leaving his cue case behind. Referee Marcel Eckardt took responsibility for returning the equipment safely to O’Sullivan.

Despite the seven-time world champion leading by five frames on two occasions, Higgins pulled it back and took it to a deciding frame. The Scot then gave O’Sullivan the chance to take advantage after missing a red, but the Rocket missed a crucial pot himself, leading to him taking his frustration out on the table.

Higgins took advantage, with O’Sullivan requiring snookers to take the frame. The seven-time world champion quickly conceded after Higgins potted a red.

When asked by the BBC why he decided to concede so quickly, he said: “I don’t know. I think he was just favourite to win anyway, wasn’t he?”

He added: “John played well and deserved his win. He’s got a chance of winning the championship if he keeps playing like he did in that session.

“I went into the pack and left myself a difficult red in that final frame, but I probably wasn’t the best player over the match anyway. I feel like I am enjoying my game and in a better place this month than I have been for a few years, but I just missed too many key balls.

“There was pressure out there, and I got a big tight, and maybe that was because I haven’t won a tournament in two and a half years or competed in those types of matches for a while. It’s a bit of new territory for me and I just have to be grateful for what I’ve got and build on it.”

Higgins will now play Neil Robertson in the quarter-final of the tournament, a match that looks set to be another intriguing battle. The other final eight games see Mark Allen vs Barry Hawkins, Zhao Xintong against Shaun Murphy and Wu Yize vs Hossein Vafaei.