Ken Doherty crashed out of the £440,000 Grand Prix in Telford last night, following a comprehensive five frame humbling by crowd favourite, Ronnie O’Sullivan. The former world champion established a personal best en route to his emphatic demolition of the Dubliner by disposing Doherty in a time of fifty-seven minutes.
It was sweet revenge for O’Sullivan, who had spent many an afternoon in the Irish man’s shadows, when they practised together. “When I was a kid I picked a lot of balls out for Ken in practice and there's a bit of a psychological barrier there," said O'Sullivan, who began practising with Doherty when the Irishman first based himself in Essex back in the late 1980s.”
O'Sullivan, who opened his challenge for the £62,000 first prize by whitewashing Quinten Hann 5-0, and followed up with a rapid 5-1 win over Rob Milkins, continued his excellent form with ruthless ease. He shaded the second frame on the blue but in the latter stages of the contest clicked into overdrive. Doherty got frame three under way with a run of 40 but, bridging awkwardly over the pack, left a slowly rolled red in the jaws of a top corner pocket. O'Sullivan stepped in with a 95 clearance then fired in further breaks of 65, 48 and 78 to seal a runaway success.
O'Sullivan will now face Scotland's Graeme Dott in the semis, while Jimmy White will face Mark Williams in the other tie.
Filed by Shane Murray
