Stevens through to quarter-finals
Friday, 27 April 2001 21:28Matthew Stevens became the first player to reach the quarter-finals of the Embassy World Snooker Championships with a 13-5 win over Anthony Hamilton. The Welshman was in complete control of this tie throughout and led 7-1 after the first session, enjoyed a six frame advantage at the end of the second session and took a mere 20 minutes to wrap up the match tonight, winning the final two frames he needed to progress. The Welshman also made a break of 139 to leave him tied with Scotland's John Higgins at the top of the highest-break chart and in line for a share of the £20,000 prize.
After taking a massive 7-1 lead, it was unlikely that Hamilton could claw his way back into the match. However, in the second session, Hamilton fought back to take three of the four frames before the mid-session interval. Following the break, Hamilton looked set to continue his comeback until the final frame of the session saw him forcing the ball off the table, giving Stevens the opportunity to clear up and re-gain his six frame advantage and he never looked under threat.
Although Stevens, last year's runner-up at the Crucible, has not had a good start to the season, he seems to be regaining his form at just the right time, making the quarter-finals here for the fourth successive year. "I'm very happy with my performance. It was a lot better than in the first
round," he said afterwards. " It had to be really, because Anthony was scoring very well, especially in the second session. The key to the match was the first four frames. Anthony missed a few balls, I got a good lead and it boosted my confidence. If I continue to play like that, the rest will have to play very well to beat me," he added.
Meanwhile, in tonight's other second round tie, Ronnie O'Sullivan leads fellow Englishman Dave Harold 10-6 after the second session of play. This match will resume tomorrow afternoon at 2:30pm.
Filed by Amanda Fennelly
