Rocket races past Stevens

O'Sullivan: emphatic victory

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Ronnie O'Sullivan blitzed Matthew Stevens to cruise into the second round of the UK Championship with an emphatic 9-3 victory.

O'Sullivan had actually fallen 2-0 behind in the afternoon session, but hit back in some style as he reeled off nine of the next ten frames to progress.

The duo had been tied at 3-3 after Stevens put together a century break of 101, but the Welshman then missed some easy balls to allow The Rocket to move into a 5-3 lead at the end of the first session.

That was as good as things got for Stevens as O'Sullivan returned in the evening to close out the match in double-quick time by taking four frames on the trot.

He pulled 6-3 ahead with a break of 75 and a contribution of 60 was enough to clinch the next.

The 11th frame turned into something of a protracted safety battle with the players locked together at 70-70.

But it was O'Sullivan who broke the shackles as he potted brown, blue and pink to put himself one frame from victory and he duly closed out the contest at the first time of asking by winning the next.

Ding fightback

China's Ding Junhui produced a fine fightback to end the hopes of England's Mike Dunn who had looked on course to provide a major upset.

Dunn headed into the evening session with a 5-3 lead, but found Ding too hot to handle in the second session with the Chinaman taking six unanswered frames to book his passage into the next round.

However, Marco Fu was unable to produce similar heroics as he fell victim to qualifier Peter Lines.

Fu always looked to have a mountain to climb having fallen 6-2 behind after the first session and Lines held his nerve to seal a memorable 9-3 triumph.

Ali Carter is also through to the second round following his 9-7 victory over Rory McLeod.

Selby ahead

Four second round matches are also underway and, in the pick of them, Mark Selby opened a 5-3 lead over Stephen Hendry.

Selby knocked in three century breaks, including total clearances of 132 and 141, but could not fully shake off seven-time world champion Hendry who spurned a good chance to get out of the session level at 4-4 only to let Selby in to compile a 69 that earned him a two-frame lead.

Elsewhere, Scotland's Stephen Maguire claimed a 6-2 lead over Stuart Bingham and China's Liang Wenbo outplayed Mark King to lead 7-1.

The match between Neil Robertson and John Higgins was a much closer affair, the Scot edging into a 5-3 advantage after the opening session.