Ken Doherty 6-2 Yuan Sijun - From 2-1 down there Doherty was excellent. He scored well and always looked the stronger with his safety which is just an area that Yuan is probably still lacking but he has plenty of time to develop his game. A lot of positive signs for Doherty fans though. When his chance came at the end he was clinical to leave Yuan needing a snooker on the final red, before clinching the match after Yuan's first safety shot thereafter. He now awaits the winner of the match between a certain Ronnie O'Sullivan and Luke Simmonds.
Doherty broke down early but wins the resulting safety battle and now this is his big chance to close the match out.
That miss from Yuan has left Doherty in with a potential match winning opening here with plenty of the remaining reds open and the Irishman cueing brilliantly.
Frame 8 - Doherty needs to be careful not to open the door up here for a Yuan comeback. A risky attempt on the green left the teenager at the table but his break ends after a missed red in the middle on 18.
Frame Doherty - Exactly 8 minutes from start to finish was all that Doherty required to clinch the seventh frame. Once in he just resumed from the previous three frames having well and truly found a rhythm and the crowd in here are loving it. A break of 82 this time puts him one away from the last 64. 5-2.
Frame 7 - A cracking long red this time from Doherty gets him in first in the seventh with his foot firmly on the accelerator here. If he can kill this frame off in one visit then Yuan will well and truly be on the ropes.
Frame Doherty - From the chance Yuan left there Doherty adds a nice break of 50 and looks to really be on top form here today while Yuan has lost his way in the last two frames. This is the first time that either player has led by two as well. 4-2 Doherty.
Yuan ends up unfortunate to pot a red and when cannoning others, land on no easy colour with no safety on offer because of an easy red in baulk. In the end he tries a really tough cut on the pink and goes in off in the middle to leave Doherty in with an opportunity to double his lead.
Frame 6 - First chance for Doherty in the next frame after a well judged pot on a red near the baulk line into the bottom pocket but he only manages 19 before losing position and running for safety.
Frame Doherty - Doherty builds a lead of 14 before laying snookers on the last two reds, the second of which saw Yuan leave a red and now Doherty will take this frame to move ahead for the first time. 3-2 Doherty.
Doherty can't take advantage of his chance as he loses position on 21, but a good safety that left Yuan in trouble has yielded a second opportunity in this frame. A couple of reds are near cushions now though so not straight forward.
Yuan loses position after what looked like a bad contact and his break ends on 36 after missing a very dangerous blue into the green pocket. Doherty now at the table and in amongst them.
Frame 5 - We're back from the interval and once again it does not take long at all for the first chance to come. Yuan is in first this time and again he has the reds open early on to make this another frame that could be won in one visit.
Frame Doherty - I said Doherty had to take advantage and he really has there. The two reds as he approached frame ball were crucial, firstly one up into the green pocket that just wobbled in and then a double into the middle that allowed him to get over the frame winning line. From there he picked the rest of the reds off nicely and finished up with a magnificent 130 break to level the scores at the interval. 2-2
Frame 4 - They've flown through the first three frames and it has not taken long for Doherty to earn the first chance in frame four. Having seen the scoring power of Yuan he needs to take advantage here.
Frame Yuan - He looks genuinely gutted at the end of this frame to miss out on a potential maximum. A great positional shot all round the table from the eighth red kept it going but he lost position again on 88 and missed a very tricky cut into the middle pocket. He will need to come back down quickly though because you could see his excitement during that break. 2-1 Yuan.
Frame 3 - Yuan gets in first here with a sensational long red which he rolls in with a perfect weight for the black. Then from the third red he opens all the other reds up and has made this into both an excellent frame winning chance and a 147 alert.
Frame Doherty - Doherty has to play safe on 51 but by then Yuan can only tie the frame. He ends up potting a red but fails to get on the black and then misses the pink before conceding. 1-1
Frame 2 - A good cut into the middle for Doherty has given him the first good chance in frame two. Plenty of reds open and colours on their spots so another excellent opportunity here as he looks to level this up.
Frame Yuan - There's no messing when Yuan gets in. He's quick and a really fluent break builder and made that break look easy. A run of 87 it is to give the Chinese youngster the opening frame.
Frame 1 - Been a cagey opening so far with both players missing half chances but an incredibly ambitious plant from Doherty, with little else on, has left Yuan nicely in now.
The people have spoken and my first live blog of the UK Championship last 128 will be Yuan Sijun against 1997 World Champion Ken Doherty.
Yuan is the man in form of the two at the moment, reaching the quarter-finals of the China Championship and picking up some good wins against top players like Mark Allen, Kyren Wilson and Ding Junhui. He's certainly the favourite.
That said Doherty has the experience in these big events and despite a quiet season so far he will be up for the Challenge and raring to get his York campaign underway.
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