Ronnie O'Sullivan 'smiled' at by opponent just moments before shock International Championships exit

He was not happy with his game following his shock exit at the English Open in September.

But O'Sullivan was back to winning ways in the opening round when he faced women's world No 1 Mink Nutcharut.

The seven-time world champion then got revenge on He Guoqjang from his English Open loss two months earlier, beating the Chinese star 6-2.

That set up a tie against Pang, who reached the Northern Ireland Open semi-final just last week.

And the 24-year-old took that momentum into his match against O'Sullivan with an impressive performance.

Pang took the lead from the start and a break of 85 in the fifth frame gave him 3-2 lead before a brilliant clearance in the sixth saw him open up his biggest lead of the match.

O'Sullivan and Pang were guilty of missing opportunities in the next two frames, but it was the former who managed to take advantage and draw the match level.

But O'Sullivan could do nothing as Pang retook the lead once again with a huge break of 120.

It was another strong start in the 10th frame as he took a 62-point lead, leaving him with just two balls left to seal the victory.

Pang made successful work of potting the black, but the cue ball drifted into an awkward position resting on two reds.

It made for awkward cueing for Pang as he had to raise the arc of his hand and hit down on the cue ball, but he made no mistake.

Pang went on to finish with a break of 123 to secure a famous victory and progress to the next round.

Speaking to local media after the match, Pang admitted he could only smile at O'Sullivan when he was about to win the match.

"Yes, when playing the red ball, I didn't position it well for the last black ball, which ended up at an almost impossible angle," Junxu said.

"I didn't really know how to play that shot, so I just smiled at my opponent."

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It's the first time Pang has recorded a victory over O'Sullivan since their first meeting back in 2022.

He came close to beating the snooker icon at the 2023 Wuhan Open, but Pang has admitted nerves played a part in his defeat last year.

"Yes, in that frame, I did get a bit tight-handed toward the end, which threw off my positioning and, unfortunately, led to a missed shot," he said.

"I might not have dared to take risks or go all out."