Ronnie O’Sullivan knocked out of the World Snooker Championship by Zhao Xintong in Sheffield; no way back for seven-time world champion after he was whitewashed in second session as Zhao sealed passage to final in emphatic fashion

Ronnie O’Sullivan was knocked out of the World Snooker Championship by Zhao Xintong

Ronnie O’Sullivan cast fresh doubt over his future after crashing out of the World Snooker Championship with a heavy semi-final defeat.

O’Sullivan’s bid for an eighth Crucible crown ended in a humiliating 17-7 loss to Zhao Xintong with a session to spare on Friday after the Chinese star won all eight frames in the morning before finishing the job in the evening.

Prior to his arrival in Sheffield, the 49-year-old had not played on the tour since he withdrew midway through his Championship League group in January – snapping his cue after losing four of his five matches.

And he struggled with his new cue during the World Championship, getting through three tips in all and changing both his tip and ferrule after the first session of the semi.

But although his run to the last four provides some cause for optimism, O’Sullivan admitted he does not know what the future holds, with a move from the UK to the Middle East on the horizon.

He said: “I think I’m going to be moving out of the UK this year. A new life somewhere else.

O’Sullivan’s hopes of an eighth World Snooker Championship crown were destroyed as Zhao thrashed him with a session to spare in Sheffield

“I’ll still try and play snooker, but I don’t know what the future looks like for me really.

“I’m moving away soon so I’ll just see how it goes. There’s a lot of more important things in life to worry about than a game of snooker.

“For me, it’s a big part of my life but I’ve got to try and figure out what my future looks like, whether it’s playing or not.

“I’ll be moving away to the Middle East, but we’ll see how it goes. I might be back in six months, who knows!

“There are going to be a few changes in my life, so we’ll see how that goes.”

When asked whether he’d like to throw his cue into the long distance following his Crucible exit, O’Sullivan added: “I won’t throw it. The merchandise people want it, so it’ll be up for sale. But I won’t be throwing it.”