John Higgins is the latest big name to crash out of the UK Championship in York after defeat to China’s Zhao Xintong in the third round.
Higgins, a three-time UK champion, led 5-3 before the 24-year-old Zhao reeled off three frames in a row, clinching his 6-5 win with a nerveless break of 83.
The Scot’s defeat saw him follow world number one Mark Selby, Neil Robertson and Shaun Murphy out of the tournament.
Higgins told Eurosport: “He was by far the better player, I was pretty poor all day.
“I missed a terrible red when I was 20 in front at 5-4, and when I missed that I knew I was going to lose 6-5. If you don’t take your chances you don’t deserve anything.”
Ronnie O’Sullivan started with a century and reeled off five more 50-plus breaks as he saw off veteran Mark King 6-3 to join Zhao in the last 16.
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