RONNIE O'Sullivan brushed aside the challenge of Nigel Bond in
Plymouth yesterday to join the whitewash winners at the British Open
snooker tournament. The teenager will meet world champion Stephen Hendry
in the semi-finals.
After 5-4 victories over Peter Ebdon and Ken Doherty in previous
rounds, O'Sullivan took a short cut to the semi-finals, overwhelming
Bond -- who scored just 28 points -- by 5-0 in only 69 minutes.
It was the first time since joining the paid ranks in 1989 that world
No.9 Bond failed to trouble the scorers. ''I'm sick to lose my record,''
he grumbled.
UK champion O'Sullivan made six breaks in excess of 40 with a top mark
of 84 in frame three. Despite the comprehensive nature of his fourth win
in the tournament, he declined to go overboard. ''It wasn't bad. I
played a little better than in recent weeks.''
Hendry had a titanic battle against fellow Scot Alan McManus, who
fought back to level at 2-2, 3-3, and 4-4. He led 50-0 in the final
frame, but Hendry clawed his way back to take the match.
Steve Davis, the defending champion, began the day with a 5-0 win over
Welshman Doug Mountjoy. He now faces James Wattana, who beat Tony Drago
5-0, in a repeat of last month's Thailand Open final.
Davis, who bids for a seventh world crown in Sheffield later this
month, is favourite to pocket the #36,000 winner's cheque in Plymouth.
Mountjoy was blitzed by breaks of 74, 75, 78, and 113.
The Londoner, who wrapped up the match in a magnificent display
lasting 107 minutes, said: ''I came off the table in a good frame of
mind.''
The highlight for Davis was a 113 clearance in the final frame.
''These days when I know the frame is won, I tend to smash the colours
about, but this morning I was determined to go on and make the
clearance,'' he said.
Davis praised Mountjoy, the world No.30, who was playing his first
quarter-final for two years and is battling to reach the top again after
having a lung removed last summer.
''There are not many 51-year-olds, if any, playing to Doug's standard.
He has done brilliantly to come back this season and if he keeps
grafting like he is doing, he'll continue to improve.
''Mind you he's not the only one trying to beat the clock!''
Wattana, a 9-7 victor over Davis in Bangkok, was not happy with his
play, saying: I'll need to play better to beat Steve.''
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