Brave Doherty comeback falters against Davis
Despite another stirring comeback, Irish snooker star Ken Doherty bowed out of the Travis Perkins UK Championship quarter-finals, losing to Steve Davis last night.
The English veteran and number 16 seed made a storming start, pulling clear into a 5-0 lead, despite the opening frame being a 53-minute marathon which meant the first session was reduced to seven frames.
Doherty finally got on the scoreboard in the sixth frame when a fluked black from a re-spot reduced the deficit to 5-1, before Davis kept his composure to close out the session on top.
When the pair resumed in the evening, as former world champion Doherty began to show more of the form which helped him dismiss John Higgins in the previous round, pulling the lead back to 7-4 and then 8-7. Davis began to feel the pressure, missing several relatively easy chances to press towards the win.
But Davis held his nerve and secured the win in the 16th frame, thanks to a tremendous double when the frame came down to the final black.
“I’m so happy to be playing well at the minute,” said Davis afterwards.
“It sounds daft, but if I’d have played like this in the 80s then I think I could have been even more accurate.
“I’m in the best playing shape that I have been for a long time, and I’m just looking forward to being among the balls and clearing up at the minute.”
In his match, Steven Hendry overcame Ali Carter 9-7 in another thrilling finale.
Hendry, who had stood just one frame away from victory at 8-4 at one point, suddenly became uncharacteristically twitchy.
He was visibly losing focus and concentration at the table, and let Carter, who up until that point had been out of sorts at the table, reduce the arrears to 8-7.
The Scot had opened a 5-3 lead at the halfway stage of their clash, although Carter provided the main talking point of their opening session, spurning the chance of a 147 when he left himself too much work to do on the 14th black.
“I don’t think I played too well all day,” said Hendry afterwards.
“In a lot of the frames we had two or three chances each, but as I’ve said before you have to win those matches as well as the ones where you’re knocking in the big breaks.
“The important thing is I’m still here and I’m still in with a chance of winning the tournament.”
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