Ford eliminates Drago

Tony Drago's run in the Malta Cup came to an abrupt end last night. The Maltese professional lost to world no.74 Tom Ford 5-4 in front of a sell-out crowd at the Hilton Portomaso Centre.

Drago failed to produce his best snooker and missed some crucial shots which paved the way for his English opponent to reach the last 32 in his first participation in an overseas ranking tournament.

"I am really disappointed to go out at such an early stage," Drago said.

"I was looking to put up a good show for my loyal fans here but Tom Ford was slightly better I suppose. I had good chances to turn the match in my favour but I missed those chances. Tom is a very talented player who has a bright future in front of him.

"Now I have two more tournaments to play. Hopefully, I will do better and earn enough ranking points to get back among the top 32. If I fail it's not the end of the world.

"But, I definitely need to get back into shape both physically and mentally. Once the season is over I'll have to pop up at the gym and do some workouts.

"I still feel that I can compete at this level... I'm not finished yet. If I get back into shape I can still return to the Tony Drago of old."

Ford's said: "I'm delighted with my performance tonight. The atmosphere was electrifying but I managed to keep hold of my nerves.

"When I missed that pink in the seventh frame I thought I had blown my chances but once I potted the first red in the decider my confidence was back."

Ford, who beat Joe Grech 5-1 on Monday, made an impressive start to the match to race into a 2-0 lead. But Drago soon started to show his best form, compiling a run of 66 and another clearance break to level the scores at two-all.

On the restart, Drago potted a risky pink to nose in front for the first time in the match. But Ford pounced on some poor defensive play from the home player to roll on a 42 and equalise on 3-3. Ford, 28, then produced more solid play to move one frame away from victory.

Drago looked down and out in the eighth frame when Ford needed to put away an easy pink to win the match... he missed it and the Valletta professional breathed a huge sigh of relief to take the match into a decider.

But Ford was not to be denied. He took a decisive lead and despite missing an easy pot in the middle pocket, he still managed to regain control and win the frame 69-0. Tonight he plays Chris Small.

Maguire through, Williams out

Stephen Maguire was on the verge of a dramatic elimination as the 2004 European Malta Open was forced to win a nervy decider before having the better of Joe Swail 5-4.

Maguire, who won his maiden ranking event at the Hilton last year after beating Jimmy White in the final, seemed to have gained the upperhand when taking a 4-3 lead. But he missed a comfortable shot on the blue in the centre pocket and Swail took the opportunity to clear the table and force the ninth frame.

Maguire, who started the season no.24, had the chance to clinch the match but missed a red at the bottom right pocket. Swail failed to capitalise and Maguire went on to set up a third round clash against Alan McManus.

"It was a massive win for me," Maguire said. "I made life difficult for myself, missing several key balls that should have settled the match in my favour. But I'm glad to have gone through.

"I don't think being the defending champion has had a negative effect on my performance. It's a known fact that the first match in every tournament is the most difficult and hopefully there will be a significant improvement in my play as from my next game."

Stephen Hendry, the seven-times world champion, encountered far less difficulty in advancing to the next round yesterday when he cruised past Barry Hawkins 5-1 with the latter compiling the only century of the match, a 106 in frame three.

Hendry faces Anthony Hamilton for a place in the quarter-finals.

Neil Robertson produced the biggest shock of the day when he beat former world no.1 Mark Williams 5-1 last night.

The Australian, who eliminated Duncan Bezzina in the previous round, was on top gear practically throughout the match.

After losing the first frame he never looked back, potting breaks of 48, 78, 72 and 43 to set up a third round clash against either Jimmy White or Robert Milkins.

"It was a fantastic performance," Robertson said. "I played a perfect match giving Mark little chances to get into the match.

"Last year I lost in the quarter-finals to Jimmy White. This year I'm hoping to match that result if not better it.

"To do that I might have to play Jimmy again. But it's not a problem because I'm playing very well and I'm taking each match with great confidence."

o Quinten Hann, the world no.18, has withdrawn from the Malta Cup. The Australian was due to face Ronnie O'Sullivan this afternoon. The WSA said Paul Hunter's match against Stuart Pettman will be moved to the televised table.

O'Sullivan receives a bye through to the last 16 of the world ranking event.

Results: Hendry bt Hawkins 5-1; Dunn bt Gray 5-0; Maguire bt Swail 5-4; Robertson bt Williams 5-1; Higgins bt Henry 5-4; Ford bt Drago 5-4 (66-30, 95-27, 1-85, 51-61, 54-72, 92-48, 67-54, 52-60, 69-0).

Today's programme

4 p.m. session - P. Hunter vs S. Pettman; G. Dott vs A. Gunnell; O. Sullivan vs Q. Hann pp.
8 p.m. session - C. Small vs T. Ford; J. White vs R. Milkins; S. Davis vs J. Burnett.