RONNIE O’SULLIVAN was dethroned as UK champion as Barry Hawkins unburdened his longstanding Rocket hoodoo.
Snooker’s seven-time world champion saw his title defence end on the opening afternoon in York.
Hawkins – who had lost to O’Sullivan in the 2013 Crucible world final – came from 3-1 down and then 4-2 behind to register a stunning 6-4 triumph in the last-32 at the Barbican.
O’Sullivan, 49 next month, had opened up with a 128 break and then hit a 114 score before going off to the mid-session interval.
But world No20 Hawkins – who had lost the previous four encounters – knocked in successive breaks of 73, 75, 88 and 60 in the final four frames as he claimed a famous personal win.
The Essex potter hit the table in frustration when he missed a “silly” ball and it was his first opening-round defeat at the UKs since 2010.
He said: “I don’t know what happened. I don’t want to analyse it. I think Barry played a good game.
“I didn’t seem to get much of a chance at 4-2 up. I missed a red from the middle and from that moment onwards, he kept me out. It was game ball, an important ball, a good chance.
“I felt like I was in control of the match up until then. But then you miss silly balls and the game never forgives you. That’s what snooker does to you. I have no complaints really.”
Stephen Hendry, the seven-time world champion, claimed in commentary that he felt O’Sullivan was “rusty” due to a lack of activity.
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O’Sullivan said: “Possibly I’m a bit rusty. But I will leave that up to the experts and just do what I am doing.”
For Hawkins, this was only his fourth success in 22 matches against the sport’s greatest player but this result has opened up the top half of the Triple Crown event as £250,000 is on the line for the overall winner.
The Hawk, 45, said: “That has been a while. I thought I’d try to keep at him, be a bit aggressive, and I managed to find some form.
“I felt good at the start. I missed a couple of middle-distance balls and he punished me. I stuck at him, didn’t give up, I found some rhythm and I got in the zone.
“I have let myself down so many times when I have played Ronnie. I have given him too much respect.
“He has had some stinkers against me and I have not taken advantage of them. I have crumbled under pressure. That’s a massive win for me.
“Towards the end I felt alright. I hit balls in the interval. I just passed the time. I knuckled down, tried to keep him under pressure and started to play better.
“I have beaten Ronnie – who knows what might happen now? That performance has been coming for a while. It is all about confidence and self belief for me.”
