Ken Doherty has gone out of the China Open in Shanghai after losing 5-4 to Anthony Hamilton. Hamilton will now face either Ronnie O'Sullivan or Mark Selby in the semi-finals. It had all started so promisingly for Doherty who took an early 2-0 lead and looked set to make it 3-0 when embarking on a 58 break. A slip up let Hamilton back in however and he cleared to steal the frame on the black.
That proved to be the turning point as Hamilton took the following three frames. Doherty did stop the slide to level the match at 4-4 but Hamilton, who has reached only three semi-finals in his career, held his nerve to take the match with a break of 107.
Afterwards Doherty was clearly disappointed saying, "It was just a bad match to lose and it's even more sickening when you don't get a chance in the decider, it's a big disappointment because that's a real opportunity missed. Anthony's very hard to play against. He breaks you down, slows the pace and doesn't let you build any kind of rhythm. He'll have to improve 100% to stand any chance of winning the tournament."
Filed by Johnny Proby
