Tony Drago failed to progress to next week’s Welsh Open after losing to Joe Perry 4-2 in the third qualifying round in Sheffield yesterday.
The Maltese professional, who on Thursday beat Matthew Selt 4-2, started brightly as he surged into a two frame lead which included a break of 61 in the second frame.
But Perry came back strongly in the third frame after compiling a century break of 102 to bridge the gap to 2-1.
The Welshman suddenly clicked into gear and managed to win the next three frames with runs of 59, 40 and 42 to set up a first-round clash with Stephen Hendry, of Scotland, on Monday.