Reigning world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan played down his hopes of sweeping to a fifth UK Championship title despite beating Scotland’s Marcus Campbell to reach the last 16.
The ‘Rocket’ struggled before the mid-session interval and lost frame two in unusual fashion, a long battle on the black ending when the Londoner failed to make contact with it.
The players went in locked at 2-2 but O’Sullivan played much better thereafter, breaks of 108, 100 and 54 seeing him to a 6-2 victory.
O’Sullivan said: “There’s still a long way to go hopefully!
“There are so many good players in this event. The danger is everyone thinking me, Ding and Neil are the hot favourites. I believe the winner could come from someone who’s just about coming into form now.
“I’m not writing myself off, otherwise there’s no point being here, I might as well pack up and throw a sicknote in.
“And I’m not writing off Ding’s or Neil’s chances, I’m just saying that the guys who have maybe not been getting the results, it’s probably only a matter of time before they have their good spell.”
Campbell, though, said of the reigning world champion: “His attitude’s fantastic now and when he’s like that, playing the right shots, he can make you look very ordinary.”
Defending champion Mark Selby had a straightforward afternoon, dispatching Grimsby’s Stuart Carrington 6-0.
After a scrappy start, successive breaks of 69 and a 96 saw Selby through to a clash with Graeme Dott.
Ding Junhui’s progress was almost as comfortable, the Chinese player beating Fergal O’Brien 6-1 to maintain his push for a fourth successive ranking title.
Ding won this title in 2005 and 2009 and is on pace to repeat the four-year cycle, but continuing his current hot streak would mean more to the world No 3.
Stephen Hendry was the last player to win four ranking titles consecutively and Ding said: “That’s the legend, no one has done that since he did it so… I’ll try!”
World No 1 one Neil Robertson kicked off his 6-3 win over China’s Li Hang with the highest break of the tournament so far, 141.
One of the remaining Masters places was wrapped up as Robert Milkins, O’Sullivan’s next opponent, beat Matthew Stevens 6-2 with breaks of 105, 84, 63, 75 and 77.
The ranking points gained from his run to the last 16 will lift the Gloucester player to 13th in the world.
The top 15 after this week qualify in addition to world champion O’Sullivan and, with only Graeme Dott and Perry able to overtake him, Milkins’ place at Alexandra Palace next month is assured.
Ireland’s David Morris ended the dream run of Sheffield amateur Mitchell Travis with a 6-1 win featuring breaks of 71 and 76.