Ronnie O’Sullivan suffered another setback as his poor start to the season continued with a 6-4 loss to Noppon Saengkham in the second round of the China Open.
The 50-year-old, who has won the tournament twice, was 3-1 up before losing four straight frames.
The seven-time world champion responded before losing the final frame 64-46 to add to his second-round exit at the Shanghai Masters last month.
Thailand’s Saengkham is ranked 45th in the world and has now beaten O’Sullivan in back-to-back matches.
Having started slowly in the first round, the Englishman won six straight frames to beat Wales’ Jackson Page 6-2.
Saengkham, 34, will now face Shaun Murphy, who defeated China’s Xiao Guodong 6-2.
World champion Wu Yize also crashed out following a 6-2 loss to England’s David Gilbert.
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