Ronnie O’Sullivan tells fans to ‘sit down’ during defeat to Yan Bingtao

Ronnie O’Sullivan crashed out of the Northern Ireland Open. Picture: George Wood

Ronnie O’Sullivan crashed out of the Northern Ireland Open after urging fans to “sit down” midway through his 4-3 defeat to Masters Champion Yan Bingtao.

It capped a fractious week for O’Sullivan at the Waterfront Hall, having criticised the lack of atmosphere at the venue before feeling the need to clarify that his complaint had not been aimed at fans.