Need to know
Ronnie O'Sullivan was among the shock exits at the UK Championship after losing to Zhou Yuelong, and we take a look at the stars who have crashed out of the tournament
09:48, 04 Dec 2025
Ronnie O'Sullivan has been eliminated from the UK Championship (Image: PA)
Everything you need to know about all the players eliminated fromsnooker's UK Championship so far...
- Ronnie O'Sullivan (World No. 6): The record eight-time champion was knocked out in the first round (Round of 32) by China's Zhou Yuelong, losing 6-4. This marks the second consecutive year O'Sullivan has suffered a first-round exit in the competition, which he attributed partly to using an unfamiliar cue tip.
- Kyren Wilson (World No. 3): The reigning World Champion surprisingly fell to Elliot Slessor with a 6-4 scoreline in the opening round. The 33-year-old admitted he felt "very lost" during the contest and "mentally gave up" after an early mistake on the pink ball in the first frame.
- Desire to Quit: Wilson confessed to wanting to shake his opponent's hand and walk out after the interval, as he "just didn't want to be out there." Despite this, he "battled" and gave his all, recognising that fans pay good money to watch him play.
- Cue Problems: Adding to his frustration, Wilson also complained that his cue was "awful" and implied the difficulty of the conditions made it impossible to succeed. He even used three different snooker cues during the tournament in an attempt to find a solution.
- Mark Allen (World No. 8): The 2022 UK Champion was comprehensively beaten 6-1 by Scott Donaldson in one of the tournament's biggest surprises so far. Donaldson, who has been on an emotional run following the recent death of his father, delivered a commanding performance to dismiss the former winner.
- Mark J. Williams (World No. 5): The three-time World Champion was eliminated in the second round (Last 16) by another Chinese talent, Pang Junxu, who secured a 6-3 victory. This defeat means one of the game's greatest players exits earlier than expected after winning his opening match.
- Gary Wilson (World No. 15): The 2024 Wuhan Open finalist was edged out 6-5 in a gripping decider against Zhang Anda in the Round of 32. Wilson had been leading 5-3, but Zhang showed impressive composure to reel off three straight frames to complete a dramatic turnaround.
- Xiao Guodong (World No. 12): The Chinese star was convincingly defeated 6-2 in the first round by his compatriot Pang Junxu. This continues a trend of early exits for the Wuhan Open runner-up in major ranking events.
- Mark Allen (World No. 8): The 2022 UK Champion was comprehensively beaten 6-1 by Scott Donaldson in one of the tournament's biggest surprises so far. Donaldson, who has been on an emotional run following the recent death of his father, delivered a commanding performance to dismiss the former winner.
- Zhou Yuelong (World No. 29): The player who shocked Ronnie O'Sullivan in the first round couldn't maintain his momentum, falling 6-2 to Mark Selby in the Last 16. After his huge win over 'The Rocket,' Zhou's run was halted by a typically solid performance from 'The Jester from Leicester.'