Over the last two days the 32 (well 30 given Graeme Dott’s woes), players have battled it out for a spot in the last 16 tomorrow and this is what they had to say:
The following quotes are taken from World Snooker.
Steve Davis:
“I’m very pleased to get through, especially after having good chances to win 5-2 and messing them up,”
“When I started playing it was a very careful game, players didn’t take risks. But now it’s much more aggressive. I’ve had to change my game.
“It’s very hard to put into words now that I’m the grand-father of the game. If anyone had said I’d still be playing after 30 years, I’d have been very surprised but I am still enjoying it.”
John Higgins:
“I was lucky today, I was 3-0 in front and could have gone 4-0 up after Tom had a very good chance of a 147. He came out very strongly to make it 3-2, should have made it 3-3 then did well to come back to 4-4,” said the two-times World Champion.
“The fans and the public have been first class and it’s always nice to play in front of people who are so appreciative,”
Mark Selby:
“I didn’t really miss a ball and I made 70 plus in every frame. Judd didn’t play badly, I just never gave him a chance. I’ve never played him before so I didn’t really know what to expect other than that he’s a dangerous player,”
Judd Trump:
“Mark played very well, every time I came to the table I was snookered or left on the back rail,”
The following quotes are from here:
Ronnie O’Sullivan:
“I felt nervous to begin with because I want to do well in this tournament and show the people here what I can do. The people in China have been good to me so I owe them something,”
“I felt under pressure to win, so maybe I need to relax and enjoy it more. I’m aware of the fact that I could win three ranking events in a row this week. I was practising hard for a week before I came here, so my form should come out. I just needed a bit of time to settle tonight.”
Ricky Walden:
“I’m delighted, I missed a few balls but I made a good break in the last frame,”
“He gave me a good hiding on that occasion so I wanted to play well tonight. It was an important game for me.”
Stephen Hendry:
“I’m very disappointed to lose because I love coming to China, but in the last few years I have not played well here. There’s no excuse, I just didn’t play well enough to win, it’s as simple as that.”
The following quotes are taken from World Snooker here.
Dave Harold:
“Before the interval it was very scrappy. We both stepped up a gear after the break. At the start Ding looked a little nervous, he hasn’t been winning matches and that affects your confidence.
“We all go through bad patches, he just needs a couple of wins under his belt to give him some confidence,”
Ding Junhui:
“I wasn’t on top form today and Dave seized all the chances to beat me.
“I didn’t concentrate well enough but I’ll go back to the UK and practise hard on my own,
Andy Hicks:
“I’m very pleased, it was a big game playing Shaun. I struggled a bit in my first game so it was good to be playing a top player and beat him convincingly,”
Shaun Murphy:
“If you watched the match it speaks for itself, Andy played very well and I didn’t. It’s not complicated.”
Stuart Bingham:
“I played pretty well, any result against Peter Ebdon, a former World Champion is a great result. I went 3-2 down, then made a 100 and took confidence from that,”
Peter Ebdon:
“I played ok, made a hundred but Stuart played very well in the last two frames. It’s disappointing to lose, it’s a long way to come and go out in the first round but the best man won on the day. I’d like to do well in China, I don’t think the Chinese fans have seen the best of me,”
And from Setanta:
Stephen Maguire:
“I was anxious to get over the line so I was relieved to get there in the end,” said Maguire.
“I enjoy playing in China because it’s always a good atmosphere. Obviously, I won the tournament in Beijing last season so to repeat that and do the double would be fantastic.”