Ronnie O'Sullivan beaten at Shenzhen Open by 'Unstoppable Rising Star'

SHENZHEN, CHINA - SEPTEMBER 28: Ronnie O'Sullivan of England chalks the cue during the WST Shenzhen Open 2026 Day 1 the round two match against Jun Jiang of China on September 28, 2026 in Shenzhen, China. (Photo by Yu Chun Christopher Wong/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images) — Ronnie O’Sullivan has fallen at the first hurdle in Shenzen (Picture: Getty Images)

Jiang Jun was introduced for his match with Ronnie O’Sullivan at the Shenzhen Open as ‘The Unstoppable Rising Star’ and lived up to that moniker by beating the Rocket 5-2.

The 21-year-old scored one of the biggest wins of his career on Monday, certainly beating the biggest name he ever has in a professional contest.

Jiang took a 2-0 lead, but the seven-time world champion appeared to have settled when he made breaks of 92 and 52 to draw level.

That was as good as it got for the 50-year-old, though, as the young Chinese talent won the next three to progress to the last 32 and book a meeting with Zak Surety, knocking in an excellent break of 108 in the final frame.

The MC in Shenzhen may have got a bit over-excited with the ‘Unstoppable Rising Star’ nickname, with Jiang having proved stoppable so far in his career, but he is certainly one of the brightest young prospects in the game.

He reached the first two ranking quarter-finals of his career last season, beating the likes of Mark Selby, Barry Hawkins and Dave Gilbert on his runs to the last eight of the Scottish Open and Welsh Open.

Jiang very narrowly missed out on Crucible debut this year, losing 10-9 to Stan Moody on Judgement Day of the World Championship qualifiers.

SHENZHEN, CHINA - SEPTEMBER 28: Jun Jiang of China reacts during the WST Shenzhen Open 2026 Day 1 the round two match against Ronnie O'Sullivan of England on September 28, 2026 in Shenzhen, China. (Photo by Yu Chun Christopher Wong/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images) — Jiang Jun has landed one of the biggest wins of his young career (Picture: Getty Images)

It is a disappointing trip to Shenzhen for O’Sullivan, who has not won a ranking title since January 2024.

There were some signs of a return to form at the Wuhan Open in August where he reached the semi-finals, especially in a quarter-final victory over Mark Selby.