• Snooker World Championship

Hendry evades World Championship embarrassment

Stephen Hendry was one frame from defeat © Getty Images

Enlarge

Related Links

• News: Davis leads Higgins after first session
  
• News: Hendry all set to retire before dramatic late comeback
  
• News: O'Sullivan in charge after dominant opening session
  
• News: Higgins battles back to beat Hawkins
  

Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry narrowly avoided a shock first-round exit at the hands of teenager Anda Zhang at the Snooker World Championships on Sunday.

Hendry, who was the number one player in the world for eight consecutive years between 1990 and 1998, trailed his 18-year-old opponent 9-7 before rattling off three consecutive frames for victory.

Returning to the table with a 5-4 deficit, Zhang instantly served warning of what was to come with an 86 clearance to level the contest. Natural order then appeared to have been restored as Hendry claimed the next two frames for a 7-5 lead, but then came a superb fightback from the Chinaman on his debut season on the tour. A break of 76 saw "Mighty Mouse" claim the last of three consecutive frames for an 8-7 lead, the first time he had been ahead in the contest.

Hendry's nerves were now showing, due in part to Zhang's ability to punish mistakes, and another missed red from the Scot saw the underdog move to within one frame of closing out the match.

However, the prospect of victory brought its own problems for Zhang, who missed a black when well-placed at the table to allow Hendry to remind the Crucible of his class - producing a break of 89 under serious pressure for 9-8. A follow-up 52 took the match to a one-frame shoot-out, which Hendry took with another 50+ score.

Joe Perry played the role of frame-pincher to see off the challenge of Michael Holt, eventually securing a 10-4 victory during Sunday's evening session.

Resuming with a 7-2 lead, Perry immediately extended his advantage, amassing a break of 60 for an 8-2 scoreline. Holt had clearly come with an intention to make life difficult for his opponent though, and he put together back-to-back frames to close the gap to 8-4.

Then came the decisive moments of the match as Holt twice tossed away good chances when at the table, allowing Perry to pinch the two frames he needed for victory 67-44 and 57-44.

Mark Selby threw away the chance of a century break © Getty Images

Enlarge

Mark Selby comfortably booked his passage into the second round, beating Ken Doherty 10-4 in the afternoon session.

Selby returned to the table for the second session holding a 6-3 lead established during Saturday's play, and he was just as dominant 24 hours later, taking four of five frames.

Former world champion Doherty was given plenty of encouragement from the Crucible crowd as they attempted to inspire a return to old form against "The Jester from Leicester". However, Selby quickly dashed any thoughts of a comeback by taking the opening frame 86-0, with breaks of 39 and 43.

A big 82 extended the lead to 8-3 before Doherty pulled one back with a 61 of his own, but Selby amassed another 80 break to move to the cusp of victory.

He eventually wrapped the match up with another fine break of 81 to book his place in round two, although Selby did finish on a disappointing note as a missed black cost him a century finish.

Allister Carter is well on his way to joining Selby in the second round after he built a 7-2 lead over Jamie Cope.

Carter, who won the 2009 Welsh Open and finished runner-up to Ronnie O'Sullivan in the 2008 World Championships, never broke the 70 barrier against Cope but his ability to amass points throughout the session proved a vital factor.

Breaks of 55 and 48 in frames one and two got the 30-year-old off to the perfect start, before Cope got on the scoreboard thanks to a well-manufactured effort of 62. The next four frames saw both players get amongst the balls, with Cope reaching 20+ points in each, but Carter came out on top each time for a 6-1 advantage.

Cope battled to drag himself back into the match but, despite a run of 64 in the eighth frame he still ended up back in his chair at the climax, although he did take the final frame of the session which looks like it will ultimately prove to be mere consolation.

"Everything went wrong" at the start of the second session for Mark Allen © Getty Images

Enlarge

Mark Allen held off a spirited fightback from debutant Tom Ford to book his place in the second round during the morning session.

After a dominant display on Saturday which saw him take an 8-1 lead into Sunday morning, Allen looked set for a comfortable victory. But Ford won three of the opening frames to pile on the pressure, until a 72 clearance saw Allen wrap up a 10-4 victory after the interval, but he admitted he was far from his best.

"Usually I can feed off the nerves but today there was nothing and everything went wrong," he said. "I'm pleased to just get over the line.

"I need to be better than that. I never felt motivated today. If I played like I did yesterday I don't fear anybody though and think I'll have a chance to win the tournament. I need to cut out the slack session."

Marco Fu let a comfortable lead over Martin Gould slip as he takes a narrow 5-4 advantage into Monday's session. After racing to a 4-1 advantage, Fu led 5-2 before Gould won the last two frames, including a century break to rescue the session.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.