Ireland's Ken Doherty, Fergal O'Brien and Joe Swail are all out of the British Open in Newcastle. Earlier today Doherty was beaten 5-4 by Scot Alan McManus, while Stephen Lee came from two frames down to beat Fergal O'Brien 5-2. This evening, Ronnie O'Sullivan came from behind to edge out Swail 5-4.
In one of the tournament's biggest shocks, 22-year-old Ali Carter beat world number one Mark Williams 5-2 to advance to the quarter finals of the £666,000 event. Carter, the world number 61 from Essex, will now play either Graeme Dott or Joe Perry.
"It was a struggle for both of us but I just managed to scrap it out," said Carter, the 1999 young player of the season. "I knew Mark was struggling and if I'm on my game I can beat the top players. To be honest, I'd rather play them because I know I have nothing to lose."
Welshman Williams has admitted that his recent poor form is due to a lack of enthusiasm for the game. "My game is just dire at the moment but there's no point in worrying about it. The way I am playing there is no chance of me winning another tournament. At the moment, I haven't got any appetite or hunger for the game. I'm just looking forward to going home and having a game of golf. It's sad really."
Filed by Tom Grealis
