O'Sullivan breezes past Fu

Ronnie O'Sullivan looked in fine form as he reached the last 16 of the 888 Welsh Open with a 4-1 win over Marco Fu today.

Ronnie O'Sullivan looked in fine form as he reached the last 16 of the 888 Welsh Open with a 4-1 win over Marco Fu today.

O'Sullivan's performance at the Newport centre has ended any fears over his top-16 place ahead of April's World Championship, ensuring he will qualify automatically for the Crucible.

He was quickly into his stride today with a break of 52, and an 88 put him two frames to the good.

He made 51 in the third but a missed black off its spot allowed Fu to pinch the frame. But it was only a blip for the former world number one, who wrapped up a 4-1 win with a superb 102 break.

Meanwhile, Mark Allen did not have to be at his best as he hammered Ken Doherty 4-0.

Doherty missed an opportunity to take frame one and another miss was punished as Allen went 2-0 up.

The Northern Irishman was not winning frames at one visit, but made half-centuries in the two remaining frames as he inflicted a whitewash on his out-of-sorts opponent from across the border.

Home favourite Matthew Stevens set a new tournament high break as his high-quality win over Barry Hawkins went the distance.

Stevens came from 53-0 down to win the opener, fluking the decisive pink, before Hawkins got over the line on the colours in frame two.

Stevens won the next in one visit with a sparkling 141 but Hawkins raised his game in response, breaks of 71 and 123 taking him 3-2 ahead.

A 70 break helped Stevens take the match to a decider in which he made 60 before an unlucky positional shot and, after Hawkins jawed a long red and went in off, knocked in the decisive red.

That set up a clash with Stephen Maguire, who saw off Wiltshire qualifier Adam Wicheard 4-2.

Maguire made 54 in the first and moved into a commanding 3-0 lead after back-to-back centuries, 101 and 131.

Wicheard, who beat Liu Song and Marcus Campbell to qualify for the tournament, finally got on the board and cut the deficit to 3-2 with a 54 but Maguire sealed victory with an 87 in frame six.

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