Reaching latter stages would help lift my confidence says Hendry

Stephen Hendry believes he can play himself into title-winning form after knocking out Mark Davis to reach the 12bet.com World Open last 16.

The Scot delighted the Glasgow SECC audience with a 3-0 victory over Davis, who managed only one break in double figures.

And although the 41-year-old does not believe he is performing well enough to be considered a potential champion just now, all that could change if he posts another couple of wins.

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"My confidence will come back if I have a decent run with some good performances, even just getting to a quarter- or semi-final," Hendry said. "I haven't got the form behind me to be able to say I'm going to win a tournament, but if I can get to the later stages then I know how to win.

"Mark didn't play as well as he can, fortunately for me, and I was able to pick up the pieces," Hendry said.

"I'm hitting the ball well but what happens when you have no results behind you is that you lose composure.

"I took my eye off the object ball a couple of times when I should have won the frame in one visit."

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The seven-time former world champion has not won a ranking event since 2005 but his good friend Mark Williams has a far more recent success behind him, having landed the China Open title in April, beating Ding Junhui just prior to the World Championship.

Williams and Ding both joined Hendry in the last 16, with Welshman Williams knocking out world No 2 Ali Carter 3-1 and China's Ding brushing aside England's Jimmy Michie

3-1 with breaks of 58, 109 and 77.

Williams, 35, had a highest break of 95, showing great composure to close out the win after losing the previous frame on a re-spotted black.

Williams had his say on Ronnie O'Sullivan's antics on Monday, when the former world No 1 had to be persuaded to pot the final black to complete a 147 break by referee Jan Verhaas. Williams remarked: "He should have potted the black without messing about, or played a double on it or played safe.

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"But that's why people come to watch him, to see what he's going to do."

Trowbridge cueman Stephen Lee joined the last-16 line-up by holding off a fightback from Chesterfield's Nigel Bond to edge their clash 3-2, having seen a 2-0 lead evaporate.

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