Eight-time champion Ronnie O’Sullivan eliminated Zhou Yuelong in the first round; Sullivan lost 6-4; the 2025 British Championship will be held at York Barbican from November 29 to December 7

Ronnie O’Sullivan lost to Zhou Yuelong in the first round of the British Championship

Ronnie O’Sullivan was knocked out of the British Championship in the first round after losing 6-4 to China’s Zhou Yuelong at York’s Barbican on Tuesday.

O’Sullivan, who celebrates his 50th birthday on Friday, missed out on a chance to reach the decider as Zhou Enlai defeated the record eight-time champion for the first time in eight attempts.

This is the first time O’Sullivan, who lives in Dubai, has competed in the UK since losing to Zhao Xintong in the World Championship semi-finals in May.

He revealed he had no special plans for his birthday as he prepares to leave York directly and return to his temporary base in the south of Ireland.

“I’ll probably go for a run, eat some good food and watch some snooker,” shrugged O’Sullivan, who insisted he was not particularly pessimistic despite a hard-fought defeat.

Speaking about turning sixty, O’Sullivan added: “It feels pretty good. In some ways it feels good, but in other ways it doesn’t feel so good. You probably worry less about the things you used to worry about and try to enjoy your life.

“I think I’ve enjoyed the game since it started. (But) it kind of sucked. I missed a lot of shots and I didn’t deserve to win.”

O’Sullivan clawed back a two-game deficit but world number 29 Zhou stole two frames on the black ball to regain momentum and when he collapsed on the yellow ball the favorite’s hopes of a decider were dashed and Zhou finally cleared the way for the most spectacular win of his career.

Mark Selby shook off a slight resurgence from Chinese opponent Lei Peifan to win 6-2 and advance to the round of 16 against Zhou Enlai.