Ronnie O'Sullivan was left “confused” after his most crushing Crucible capitulation last night. The Rocket, 49, saw his dreams of a record-breaking eighth World Championship blown away 17-7 by impressive Chinese Cyclone Zhao Xintong.

O’Sullivan endured his worst Crucible nightmare as he lost with a session to spare for the first time in 31 years, a 13-3 pasting by John Parrott, as Zhao moved one win away from history.

And it was the fourth time ever the world No.5 suffered a whitewashed session on the game's grandest stage — Parrott, John Higgins (1998) and Graeme Dott (2006).

Rocket Ronnie’s risky gamble to change his ferrule and tip after Thursday’s first session proved costly as he was emphatically sent packing.

And the deflated seven-time Crucible King, who used THREE TIPS during this devastating defeat, admitted: “I have lost what I used to have. I’m so confused. It feels really a struggle. I don’t know if it was me, the cue tip or the ferrule. I didn’t know where the white ball was going.

“I tried something different. I tried to go back to the old brass ferrule. I have been playing like that in practice. It’s hard to get my head around. I can’t even fix it, that’s the problem, I don’t know if I can fix it.

“I want to give it two years but if you play like that, it’s pretty pointless. It’s not good. I have been like that for four years, trying to grind it out. I haven’t had a clue where the cue ball was going. I have been willing it in the hole.

“I don’t know how to correct the fault. That is the worrying thing. I am so far away – I don’t even know where to begin. I’ve been awful for quite a while. I never gave him a game and that is disappointing.”

It looked as though a changing of the guard was taking place in front of our very eyes as amateur Zhao became only the second player from Asia to reach a Sheffield showpiece as he followed in the footsteps of Ding Junhui, the godfather of Chinese snooker, who reached the final in 2016.

And the unranked cueist, who needed to win four qualifying matches just to get back to the Crucible, has a welcome day off ahead of his challenge to become China’s first world champion tomorrow and Monday.

Zhao, the 2021 UK champion, spent 20 months in exile after he was banned for betting breaches as part of the match-fixing scandal, involving 10 Chinese potters, which rocked the sport last year.

But the talented potter, who was ranked world No.9 at the time of his suspension, has returned to the sport with a bang and is now 18 frames away from the game's greatest prize.

The one-table set-up at the Crucible has been O'Sullivan's kingdom over the years. But it was role reversal as things went from bad to worse in an unforgettable morning session, which lasted just 82 minutes, where he was a mere spectator.

Zhao rattled in runs of 57, 112, 82, 57, 67, 115 and 87 to lead 12-4. O’Sullivan briefly rallied to close the gap to 14-7 in the evening but Zhao sealed victory with breaks of 128, 85 and 63.

And Zhao beamed: “I am so happy. Ronnie is my idol. I want to thank Ronnie for helping me over the years.”