This evening saw the last 16 stage come to a conclusion, click below to read all about the two matches…
Barry Hawkins 5-4 Mike Dunn
Following his nailbiting win over Shaun Murphy in the previous round, Mike Dunn came close to causing another upset tonight but it was Barry Hawkins who emerged victories this time.
Barry made the stronger start, coming out of the blocks in the best possible way with a century break before doubling his lead following a scrappier second frame. Playing in only his second last 16 match during his long professional career, Mike had not got this far to go out on a whimper however and responded with a couple of big breaks of his own to level the match at the interval.
After the interval they traded frames, the score going 3-3 and then 4-4 to set up a tense dramatic frame, the second in a row for Dunn. Unlike against Murphy however, he could not win it and it is Hawkins who will now meet Mark Allen in tomorrow’s quarter-final. It should be a really good match that, I would probably make Allen a slight favourite but Hawkins is capable of winning it if he plays to his best.
Though Dunn failed to go past the last 16 for the first time, he should also be pretty happy with his work this week as he will have done his chances of retaining a spot in the top 48 a lot of good. With a few more results like this he might even do better and push for a top 32 position.
Neil Robertson 5-2 Stephen Lee
The final name into the quarter-final draw is Australia’s Neil Robertson who recorded a very good 5-2 win over Stephen Lee tonight.
While not a match full of breaks, Robertson came back from losing the opening frame to win a number of incredibly tight frames, the second frame taken on the final pink while the next went to the last black. Finding himself 4-1 down in no time, Lee did make a fight of it by taking frame six but the damage was already done and Neil moved into the quarters where he will meet Stephen Maguire.
Following a disappointing spell for Neil, it is good to see him winning matches again, even if his form still isn’t really where he would like it to be. Still he’s got to start somewhere and a win against Maguire tomorrow would give him a huge lift, though he’ll have to start better than he did in their World Championship match earlier this year.