Ronnie O'Sullivan booed by furious snooker fans after sudden announcement

Ronnie O'Sullivan's absence at the Scottish Open was heavily booed by furious snooker fans after he chose to pull out of the tournament at the last minute.

The 49-year-old had been due to face Xing Zihao of China in his opening match in Edinburgh, but chose to skip the competition altogether, informing tournament organisers of his decision less than 24 hours before he was set to take to the table. World number one Judd Trump and three-time world champion Mark Williams also withdrew, but punters are most angry with O'Sullivan who has withdrawn from several tournaments already this year.

'The Rocket' also pulled out from the British Open and Northern Ireland Open earlier this year for 'medical reasons', while he was also absent from the Wuhan Open. In recent years, the seven-time world champion has spoken about how the game has become 'emotionless' for him and suggested he was weighing up retiring.

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O'Sullivan has still not offered a reason for his withdrawal from the tournament in Scotland, but it has been suggested he might have done so to give him more time to prepare for the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship, which starts in Saudi Arabia on December 18.

In his absence, mentions of his name have been met by a chorus of boos by those in attendance at the Meadowbank Sports Centre, with one punter branding him an "absolute disgrace". The incensed fan told the Edinburgh Evening News: "I can't believe Ronnie has pulled out of the tournament.

"I got the train from Inverness and have tickets for his opening match. He's an absolute disgrace for doing this hours before he was meant to play. It cost me a fortune.”

With O'Sullivan not involved, Xing received a bye to the second round, where he beat Scotsman Dean Young. He will now face Chris Wakelin in the last 16 on Thursday, with a quarter-final meeting with Barry Hawkins or Wu Yize at stake.

Yize defeated Ishpreet Singh Chadha, who was set to face Trump, in the previous round, while David Lilley - who was due to take on Williams in his tournament opener - was knocked out by Stuart Bingham after being given a walkover to the last 32.

The winner of the Scottish Open will bank £100,000 in prize money, but O'Sullivan has the chance to make over seven times that at next week's 12-man championship in Riyadh. He has previously discussed how he prefers competing overseas instead of in the UK, claiming that some of the tournaments at home "don't feel special".

"For me, I want to play in the best tournaments with the best crowds," he added. "I feel like I get more support and people like me better here in Asia than they do in my own country."