Marco Fu has made a winning start to the season by beating Peter Ebdon in the Regal Masters in Glasgow. The Hong-Kong born player triumphed 5-2 over the 1996 champion. Having lost a prized top 16 status last season, Fu was thrilled to have claimed Ebdon's scalp and guaranteed himself at least £9,000 for this opening win.
"I don't think I beat anyone of note last season," said the world number 17. "But I have a good record against Peter. In fact, I've never lost to him," he added. "That was certainly on my mind before I went out there. In the end it was crappy snooker and we both struggled. However, while I'm not happy with my performance, I'm happy with the win."
Fu will now play Dubliner Ken Doherty in the last eight. Fu made history last year when becoming the first player to compile a 147 maximum break in this competition against Doherty in a match he lost 5-1. He received a car for scoring a maximum despite still not having a driver's license. "I'd rather beat Ken this time than win another car," he laughed.
Filed by Amanda Fennelly
