Stephen Hendry turned on the style to deny Ireland's Fergal O'Brien a place in the Irish Masters quarter-finals in Dublin tonight. Hendry knocked in two centuries and provided glimpses of his very best snooker to beat the Irishman 6-2.
The match turned when Hendry produced a superb colours clearance to snatch the fourth frame and the seven-times world champion limited O'Brien to just 41 points in the remainder of the match. Hendry's victory means that a frustrating run of defeats for the Irish players continues. The last time an Irishman won a match in the tournament was four years ago when Ken Doherty reached the final.
Earlier today, Matthew Stevens set up a quarter-final clash against defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan when he knocked Jimmy White out of the Irish Masters at the Citywest Hotel in Dublin today. Stevens, the world number six, missed the black for the match in the 10th frame but eventually won the decider.
The Welshman led 3-1 before White, making his 20th successive appearance, roared back to lead 4-3 to the delight of a packed auditorium. But Stevens prevailed in the end to record a 6-5 victory and restore some confidence after a disappointing campaign.
"It's my best performance of the season considering how well Jimmy played," Stevens said. "I wasn't even nervous because I was enjoying it. Even after missing the black I went to the toilet and chatted to Jimmy on the way out."
Filed by Sinéad Kissane
