| - Thanks for joining me tonight; make sure you come back to find out what's going down in the rest of the tournament... | |||
| 5-1 HIGGINS - DING: Higgins wraps up a stunning victory thanks to a break of 61 made early in the sixth frame, although he needed to hold himself in it during a long spell of safety with Ding. The world champion is through, after a vintage performance. | |||
| 5-2 MURPHY - WILLIAMS: Murphy again has to work so hard for his points after Williams had initially gone 22-0 in front, but the Yorkshireman shows fantastic skill and patience to repeatedly work up for the blue, with the black out of commission. | |||
| 4-2 MURPHY - WILLIAMS: Murphy moves to within a frame of the next round with a quite superb century, made by dilligently working through the entire pack of reds, gathered around one of the corner pockets. A fine, fine display of cue-ball control. | |||
| 4-1 HIGGINS - DING: Stunning reply to Higgins' dominance from Ding as he begins after the interval with a 115. | |||
| 3-2 MURPHY - WILLIAMS: Great standard of snooker here this evening; Murphy starts the second half of his match against the home favourite with a well-received 105. | |||
| 2-2 WILLIAMS - MURPHY: Williams looks to have a bit of a spring in his step tonight; the pressure is off after doing well in his bid to stay in the top 32 following his efforts so far in this tournament, and he looks nice and relaxed. A break of 100 - just his third century of the season - keeps him level at the interval. | |||
| 4-0 HIGGINS - DING: Stunning stuff from Higgins, who closes out the fourth frame with another 38, enough to see him into the interval 4-0 up - and we've barely been playing 50 minutes! | |||
| 2-1 MURPHY - WILLIAMS: Murphy edges ahead thanks to breaks of 40 and 51 in the third; the second a fine effort after pouncing on a loose safety from Williams. | |||
| 3-0 HIGGINS - DING: What has Higgins had for tea? Another superb contribution, 79, earns him his third frame in succession. Ding has been kept in his chair. | |||
| 1-1 WILLIAMS - MURPHY: Williams levels against Murphy thanks to an early 55 in the second frame. | |||
| 2-0 HIGGINS - DING: Meanwhile, world champion John Higgins has started as though he has something to watch on television this evening; he has raced to the opening two frames against Ding. | |||
| 1-0 MURPHY - WILLIAMS: Murphy takes the opening frame...the Rotherham potter is in fine form, he successfully defended the Malta Cup last week. | |||
| 0-0 Murphy v Williams and Ding v Higgins, the final two matches of the last 16, are underway... | |||
| 5-4 HENDRY-DAY: A break of 55 gets Hendry halfway across the line before he runs out of position...Day allows him a second chance with a poor safety, and Hendry closes out frame and match with ease. | |||
| 5-2 LEE - JUDGE: He has been close to the finishing line for a while...and now he is finally over it. Lee holds his nerve after a long bout of safety on the colours to take the seventh frame and set up a quarter-final against either Ryan Day or Stephen Hendry, into their final frame on the television table... | |||
| 4-4 HENDRY - DAY: This one always had the sense that it would go right to the wire; Hendry makes an under-pressure 71 after Day had split the reds with a safety to level at 4-4. | |||
| 5-3 CARTER-ROBERTSON: Carter gets over the line in some style, his break of 89 booking him a quarter-final match against Ronnie O'Sullivan. Robertson came back strongly after the interval, but the Englishman took his chance in the eighth frame to win it. | |||
| 4-3 DAY - HENDRY: Day makes 49 before running out of position...Hendry can't make him pay, and the Welshman returns to the table to finish the job. He's just a frame from the next round... | |||
| 4-3 CARTER - ROBERTSON: Holy Mackerel; this is getting very interesting...Robertson has pulled a third frame back with another moral-boosting break; Carter has barely had a look in since the mid-session interval. | |||
| 3-3 DAY - HENDRY: Day makes 71 to level things at 3-3; it seems that the Welshman's frames are won with sizable breaks, but Hendry is having to scrap for everything he can. | |||
| 4-2 LEE - JUDGE: Michael Judge keeps Stephen Lee waiting for the frame that would take him into the next round, cutting the lead to 4-2 with a fine 112. | |||
| 4-2 CARTER-ROBERTSON: Perhaps the comeback is on, after all? Another big break, this one just shy of a century, from the Australian cuts the lead to 2-4. Will Carter start getting twitchy if Robertson gets a third back? | |||
| 3-2 HENDRY - DAY: Hendry steals frame five 64-63 on the black with a gritty comeback; it's going all the way, this one. | |||
| 4-1 CARTER-ROBERTSON: Robbo starts after the interval with a fine century; he is hanging on by his fingernails, but looks like he isn't going to give up without a fight. | |||
| 2-2 DAY - HENDRY: Hendry digs in to take the fourth frame and ensure he goes in level at the interval. Predictably tight, this one, although Day looks a bit more fluent when amongst the balls. | |||
| 2-1 DAY - HENDRY: Ryan Day's 84 hands him the third frame...Hendry's early miss very costly in that one. He doesn't look particularly happy as he slumps in his chair. | |||
| 3-0 CARTER-ROBERTSON: Carter, the unstoppable potting machine, takes the third frame. Robertson has to pull his finger out. | |||
| 1-1 HENDRY - DAY: Tight frame, this one, but Hendry does enough to nick it, 58-23. | |||
| 2-0 LEE-JUDGE: Meanwhile, the man with the "Rolls Royce" cue-action, Stephen Lee, makes a frame-clinching half-century (73) to move into a 2-0 lead. | |||
| 2-0 CARTER-ROBERTSON: Is the Aussie's crown slipping? Carter's superb century - 102 - earns him the second frame to add to the first. | |||
| 1-0 CARTER-ROBERTSON: Essex player Carter has taken the opening frame against Roberston; the Australian is defending champion here - the Welsh Open is one of two ranking events he won in a stand-out year last season. | |||
| 0-0 HENDRY - DAY: Day has broken off in his match against Hendry...should be a good one, this. Both are attacking players. | |||
| 1-0 LEE - JUDGE: Lee has taken the opening frame of his match against Judge...he is in some decent nick, Lee - he got to the final of the Masters recently. | |||
| 5-3 O'SULLIVAN - DAVIS: Ronnie goes through, sealing the win with a 69...Davis looks rueful as he shakes his hand...the Rocket goes on to a last eight clash against either defending champion Neil Robertson or Ali Carter. | |||
| 4-3 O'SULLIVAN - DAVIS: The 50-year-old has pulled another back...he isn't scoring heavily, by any stretch of the imagination, but he is making decent contributions and then just sticking in frames. | |||
| 5-2 PERRY - BINGHAM: Stuart Bingham has had some good results in this tournament - he knocked out Maguire in the last round - but it is all over for him; Smokin Joe has shot him down and moves on to a last-eight clash against Shaun Murphy or Mark Williams. | |||
| 4-2 O'SULLIVAN - DAVIS: Davis makes 50 before jawing a red, cut back into the corner...Ronnie steps up, but immediately leaves the black over the pocket to hand the six-time world champ a second chance...he does just enough. | |||
| 4-1 O'SULLIVAN - DAVIS: O'Sullivan emerges triumphant from a long bout of safety with just pink and black remaining as Davis searches for a snooker. The Rocket is just a frame away from the quarters now... | |||
| 4-1 SELBY - DOHERTY: Selby is proving too hot for Ken this afternoon...another excellent contribution, this time 107, sees the former world 8-ball pool champion to the fifth frame and a 4-1 lead. | |||
| 4-1 PERRY - BINGHAM: Joe is on fire this afternoon...he roars out after the interval with top 102 to move to within a frame of the match and a spot in the quarter-final... | |||
| 3-1 O'SULLIVAN - DAVIS: Davis makes 57 before slipping up...Ronnie pounces with 68 to steal it from him and take a comfortable lead into the interval. | |||
| 3-1 SELBY - DOHERTY: Selby makes 64 from the first chance Doherty offers, although he can't finish the job and allows Doherty back in...but the Dubliner can't capitalise and Selby eases home. | |||
| 3-1 PERRY - BINGHAM: Some fast scoring today...Smokin Joe races to a 106 break to clinch the fourth and take a 3-1 lead into the mid-session interval. | |||
| 2-1 O'SULLIVAN - DAVIS: The veteran has pulled a frame back...you just knew he wasn't going to make it easy for Ronnie. | |||
| 2-0 O'SULLIVAN - DAVIS: Davis makes 19 before missing a red he was trying to force to make position on the black...ruthless Ronnie steps in with a smashing frame-winning 88. | |||
| 2-0 SELBY - DOHERTY: A break of 66 from Selby is enough to put him well in front in the second frame, although not quite over the line...although when Doherty hands him a second chance, he takes it. | |||
| 1-0 O'SULLIVAN - DAVIS: We're in for a treat if it continues like this...Ronnie plays a sumptuous 72 to surge ahead before jawing a red...Davis opts to play on, gaining one of the two snookers he needs...but a quite incredible pot down the cushion on the final red hands Ronnie the frame. | |||
| 1-0 BINGHAM - PERRY: Bingham, helped by an early 31, takes the opener against Joe Perry, who yesterday knocked out Peter Ebdon. | |||
| 1-0 SELBY - DOHERTY: The Jester from Lester takes the opening frame from the Darling of Dublin with a sweet 71 | |||
| 0-0 O'SULLIVAN - DAVIS: Eight world titles between them...the two legends have begun on the main television table... | |||
| - Hi there; welcome to our coverage of the first of the last-16 matches in the Welsh Open... |