Ronnie O'Sullivan pulls out of Northern Ireland Open for 'medical reasons'

Ronnie O'Sullivan will not compete in the Northern Ireland Open, the world number one has pulled out citing "medical reasons".

The 47-year-old has never won the tournament, finishing runner-up to Judd Trump in three consecutive years, from 2018 to 2020.

He was due to face America's Ahmed Aly Elsayed on Sunday in his opening match.

The seven-time world champion's place in Belfast has been taken by Rory McLeod.

The tournament takes place in the Waterfront Hall until Sunday, 29 October.

Aaron Hill, Ken Doherty and Jordan Brown will all join three-in-a-row chasing Mark Allen in Belfast having qualified this week, but O'Sullivan's withdrawal is another blow for organisers.

Mark Selby, John Higgins, Ali Carter and world champion Luca Brecel, who are all currently ranked within the world's top 11, as well as Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, signed up for an exhibition in Macau that coincided with the Northern Ireland Open.

While the event in Macau has been rescheduled for December, the quintet had not originally entered the Belfast tournament.

The five players have been warned they may be referred to the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) disciplinary committee for breach of their player contracts.