O'Sullivan sees German Masters hopes ended

Ronnie O'Sullivan's return to competitive snooker hit a glitch as he was knocked out of the German Masters qualifiers.

The five-time world champion has been on a break since the Crucible event in May of this year, but has returned to the baize ahead of the Masters in January.

The 40-year-old won his first match back against Hamza Akbar on Saturday, but was beaten 5-3 by Stuart Carrington in Wigan on Sunday meaning he will not be heading to Germany in February.