Bingham Into Shanghai Quarters
Bingham is playing his sixth event of the season and has reached the quarter-finals for the first time
Defending champion Stuart Bingham kept his best run of the season going by beating Mike Dunn 5-1 at the Bank of Communications OTO Shanghai Masters to reach the quarter-finals.
It has been a slow start to the season for World Champion Bingham and this is the first time he has progressed beyond the last 32. Inspired by his victory in Shanghai a year ago, he is now building momentum and easily saw off Dunn with a top break of 103.
“It was a good performance, my safety was really good,” said the world number two, who now meets John Higgins or Martin Gould. “I kept Mike on the baulk cushion and got my chances that way. I’m trying to forget about the pressure of being World Champion and just getting on with this tournament. I’ll need to improve my break-building but I’ve got as much chance as anyone of winning it.”
World number 54 Kyren Wilson reached the last eight of a ranking event for the second time; his first quarter-final appearance having come at the same event two years ago. The 23-year-old from Kettering beat Michael Holt 5-1 with top breaks of 123, 52 and 64 to set up a match with Ding Junhui or Ryan Day.
“Michael is an in-form player so I’m very pleased to beat him,” said Wilson. “It would be lovely to go one step further. If I play Ding next it would be fantastic to take him on in front of his home crowd.”
Mark Williams is back in form having had an operation on his shoulder just two months ago
Two-time World Champion Mark Williams enjoyed a 5-3 win over Jamie Cope. Welshman Williams went 3-0 up with top breaks of 57 and 53 before Cope pulled two frames back. Williams took the sixth then Cope made a superb 61 clearance to close to 4-3. But it was 40-year-old Williams who got the better of a scrappy eighth frame, sealing victory on the colours to earn a tie with Judd Trump or Matthew Selt.
Mark Davis saw off Crucible runner-up Shaun Murphy 5-3. Murphy made a 107 to lead 2-1 then cleared the colous to win frame four. But Sussex’s Davis hit back strongly after the interval, winning the last four frames with top breaks of 70, 64 and 58. He now plays Mark Allen or David Grace.