Ronnie O’Sullivan’s difficult start to the snooker season continued as he lost 6-4 to Thailand’s Noppon Saengkham in the second round of the China Open. The defeat matters because the seven-time world champion, a two-time winner of the event, has now suffered another early exit after also falling in the second round of last month’s Shanghai Masters.

O’Sullivan, ranked 14th in the world, led 3-1 before Saengkham won four consecutive frames and then secured the deciding frame 64-46. Saengkham, ranked 45th, has now beaten the 50-year-old Englishman in consecutive meetings and will face Shaun Murphy next; world champion Wu Yize also exited after losing 6-2 to David Gilbert.