Ronnie O'Sullivan has suffered an injury scare just four weeks before the World Snooker Championship is due to get underway.
O'Sullivan pulled out of the inaugural WST Classic with an injury ahead of a second round match against David Grace. Grace has now been given a bye to the last 32, where he will take on Jamie Jones.
O'Sullivan earlier beat Mohamed Ibrahim 4-2 in the first round of the tournament, hitting two century breaks in the process. "Ronnie O'Sullivan has withdrawn from the WST Classic in Leicester for medical reasons," a statement from the World Snooker Tour read.
"He was due to meet David Grace at 6pm on Sunday evening in the second round, but Grace now receives a bye into the last 32."
O'Sullivan revealed on Twitter that it was an elbow issue that sidelined him, writing: "Really disappointed but have had to pull out because of an elbow injury and hope to be back asap."
The Rocket's withdrawal means he is unable to qualify for the eight-player Tour Championship in Hull which is set to begin next week. O'Sullivan is now set to be out of action for around a month ahead of his world title defence as he recovers from the injury.
Last year, the 47-year-old struggled with tennis elbow and was left unable to practice, leading him to pull out of the European Masters in August. "I've had an injury for my arm for about the last year," he admitted at the time.
"The last two months it's just got really bad so I really need to rest it. Hopefully it will get better and I think it's a time-healing process."
O'Sullivan returned to action at the Hong Kong Masters in October and won the tournament, defeating Marco Fu 6-4 in the final.
