Rocket lights up Barbican
Ronnie O'Sullivan and Mark Selby both cruised into the last 16 of the UK Championship in York on Sunday.
Last Updated: 04/12/11 6:19pm
Mark Selby cruised into the last 16 of the UK Championship in York with a 6-0 thrashing of Ryan Day at the Barbican Centre on Sunday.
The Leicester potter showed why he is world number one by restricting the 31-year-old Welshman to a top break of just 24.
Selby took the opener after Day missed a tricky red down the cushion to the bottom right hand corner and doubled the lead with a run of 86.
Day made his 24 in the next but when he missed a red to the middle Selby cleared up with a stylish break of 111, and followed that up with 90 in the fourth.
A 69 break was enough to seal frame five and then made 39 before Day potted his first ball in 36 minutes of play. But when he missed a pink to the middle off its spot soon after Selby sealed the whitewash.
Impressive
Ronnie O'Sullivan was also in impressive form in his opening match of an event he has won four times previously, easing to a 6-1 result against Steve Davis.
'The Rocket' actually lost the first frame but then reeled off six on the spin, including a break of 123 in the fourth that gave him a 3-1 lead at the mid-season interval.
A run of 97 gave him the next when play resumed and he clinched victory with a 62 break, setting up a clash against either Judd Trump or Dominic Dale.
Marco Fu found life a little tougher against Stuart Bingham, the man from Hong Kong having to battle back from 3-1 to record a 6-4 triumph.
Bingham knocked in a break of 128 to leave himself in control at the mid-session interval - only to then see Fu level the match, including taking a tight sixth frame that neither player appeared keen to win.
Fu took the lead with a break of 55, then won a fourth frame in a row to move to the brink. Although Bingham won the ninth frame, Fu claimed the next 96-12 to go through to the next round.
Ali Carter recorded a 6-4 result against Robert Milkins, the latter missing a crucial yellow as he appeared set to take the match to a deciding frame.
He had also wasted an opportunity to go 4-2 ahead, allowing Carter to get back amongst the balls and level matters instead. It was the start of a three-frame run for the 32-year-old from Essex that proved crucial.
