'Rocket' Ronnie comes crashing to earth

Defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan crashed out of the world snooker championships here on Saturday, losing his second round match against Mark Allen 13-11.

Northern Ireland's Allen, the world number 16, turned around a 9-7 overnight deficit to beat the red hot favourite in one of the competition's all time shocks.

Allen's reward for beating the three-time title-holder is a quarter-final date with either Ryan Day or Nigel Bond.

O'Sullivan admitted he had no excuses after failing to match Allen's consistency: "He played brilliantly. If he plays like that he's got a great chance of winning the tournament.

"It's not nice to play like that but you just have to get on with it.

"I half expected it. I didn't expect to get through my first round to be honest with you.

"So I'm not surprised. I think anyone would have beaten me playing with that type of performance. I was very poor."

Allen added: "I loved every minute of it. Just to be out there with Ronnie at the Crucible...he's the most talented player the game has ever seen.

"To play one of your heroes at the Crucible in the World Championships is a dream come true, but that inspired me.

"A lot of people may have crumbled but I loved it because even when Ronnie was making breaks, I thought, 'I'll get him next time'.

"I just loved it. That's what you play snooker for, to play the best players in the world, and it's good that I've performed under pressure."

The unscripted defeat made a mockery of O'Sullivan's pre-tournament prediction that the title would be a two horse race between him and John Higgins.

O'Sullivan had reached at least the last-eight stage in each season since suffering a first-round defeat to Marcu Fu in 2003.

O'Sullivan was bidding to become the first man since Stephen Hendry in 1996 to make a successful defence of his title.

Allen won Saturday's first three frames before O'Sullivan responded in magnificent style with a break of 105.

He potted 14 reds but missed a difficult 14th black, electing to play the shot left-handed rather than using the rest and left the ball in the jaws of the pocket.

The audience had been readying themselves to acclaim what would have been O'Sullivan's fourth career maximum at the World Championship. It would have earned him prize money of 157,000 pounds.

O'Sullivan had the first chance of the 21st frame, after they returned from the mid-session interval, but missed his starter.

Allen made the first pot and then made a stunning safety shot to put O'Sullivan in a touch of trouble.

It was to be an Allen-dominated frame, as breaks of 47 and 36 carried him into a lead of 11-10.

Two frames now were needed for victory, and while O'Sullivan needed to stage a comeback, there was an altogether different pressure on Allen.

He had come into the match stating that "favourites don't always win", and that could easily have backfired on the 23-year-old.

He had the opportunity to develop a handsome lead in the 22nd frame but screwed back into the middle pocket after potting a red. O'Sullivan capitalised with a match-levelling break of 67.

The 33-year-old was poised to lead 12-11 but missed a black off its spot which left Allen 0-37 behind, but favourite for the frame.

There was still much work to be done but Allen calmly knocked in a break of 80, and was one away.

Allen went 34-0 in front before O'Sullivan was handed an unexpected chance.

He missed, put Allen back in, and minutes later, after a break of 46, the upset of the tournament was complete.

Shaun Murphy joined Allen in the quarter-finals after a 13-3 trouncing of Marco Fu, and will play Stephen Hendry next.