World number one Ronnie O’Sullivan lost five consecutive frames in a shock defeat by Zhang Anda in the semi-finals of the International Championship in China.
O’Sullivan was denied a place in Sunday’s final against fellow Briton Tom Ford after losing 9-6.
Home favourite Zhang recovered from 6-4 down to win the next five frames.
“When I was 6-4 behind, I tried not to think about the result and slowly adjusted my mentality,” said Zhang.
The 31-year-old added: “When you are behind, you try to slowly get yourself back into the game. If you do that, you rarely think about winning or losing, you will not be afraid of mistakes and you will be less nervous.
“I personally like to play the long matches, because my performance in these matches is quite good. It makes it easier for me to feel involved and it will slowly get me into the rhythm of the game.”
Speaking after his defeat in Tianjin, O’Sullivan, 47, said: “He [Zhang] played well and deserved to win. He was the better player on the day, so fair play to him.
“I expected him to be like that as I’ve played him a few times, he was solid. He is a fantastic player, I don’t know where he has been for the last 10 years.”
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