SNOOKER star Ross Muir admitted bowing out of the Scottish Open at the first hurdle was “devastating” .

Muir, from Musselburgh, was knocked out 4-3 by Welshman Gareth Allen in the first round on Tuesday evening.

The 21-year-old took the lead early on and led 3-1, before he was pegged back by the more experienced Welshman.

He told Courier Sport it was “absolutely devastating to play like that”.

Muir said: “I’ve really not been feeling well at all for a few days and I actually felt like my vision was badly affected last night.

“I was having to guess where I was aiming a bit when I was playing longer shots.

“I think the Scottish Open just came at a bad time and my performance was affected by circumstances I couldn’t control.

“There is still a long way to go in the season.”

Despite defeat in Glasgow earlier this week, the former Musselburgh Grammar School pupil is pleased with the progress he is making.

“After York [the UK Championships] I have been working hard on my game,” he said.

“I scored my first professional 147 in the qualifying matches for the German Masters.

“That has given me a lot of confidence that the things I’m working on are really paying off.”

Muir, the world number 66, reflected on his 147 – only the 126th in snooker history.

“It was brilliant,” he said.

“To be able to execute a 147, your cue ball control has to be nearly perfect and that’s something I was really working on after York.”

As for the remainder of the campaign, Muir is keen to recover from the illness that affected him in Glasgow this week, before returning to the table.

He added; “I’ll rest up now, and hopefully get over this bug and I’ll probably start practising again between Christmas and New Year.

“I can take a lot from the German Open qualifiers, especially the first-round win, and I’ll go into my next event with more confidence, knowing the work I’m doing is delivering results.”

Next up for Muir is the qualifiers for the China Open, which take place in January.