Yahoo Sport 
O'Sullivan 'under the weather' in Crucible upset
The five-time world champion was beaten 10-8 by amateur James Cahill in the first round at the storied Sheffield venue, having battled back to level the scores at 8-8.
O’Sullivan, who suffers from insomnia, missed a vital pink to go 9-8 ahead, but for his opponent to clean up and then seal victory in the following frame against the ailing world number one.
“I just felt a little bit under the weather,” he said.
“My legs are like lead and my arms are really heavy. I’m not making any excuses, I just felt absolutely exhausted to be honest.
“I just tried to hang in there and see if I could manage to somehow get through the match, but it wasn’t meant to be.
“There’s disappointment because you want to have a good run at it, but if I was to get through and feel like this in the next match, that wouldn’t have been much fun for me either.”
The 43-year-old had entered Sheffield having returned to the top of the world rankings after a stellar year that saw him claim a seventh UK Championship and a record 19th Triple Crown.
But it wasn’t meant to be for the Essex native, as he will be made to wait at least another year to take move closer to Stephen Hendry’s World Championship record of seven titles.
But even in defeat, he made sure to doff his cap to Cahill.
“I thought he did well, especially in the last couple of frames,” he continued.
“That clearance in the end was a very good clearance and he held himself well at the Crucible.
“Maybe he could go into his next match and put pressure on himself, so you’ll have to wait and see.”
