:00:30. > :00:37.Good evening. It has been a busy day of third round matches here with 32
:00:38. > :00:40.players hoping to reach the fourth round. Among them, Wales' best hope
:00:41. > :01:19.for the title, Mark Williams. Well, opponents don't come any
:01:20. > :01:23.tougher than the world number one. Neil Robertson has been in
:01:24. > :01:33.incredible form this season. He started as favourite. First four
:01:34. > :01:39.flames were split two appears. -- two appease. A piece. The Australian
:01:40. > :02:21.has got himself a handy lead. Well, it is hard to see Mark
:02:22. > :02:23.Williams not taking a 3-2 lead even though he is 30 points behind as we
:02:24. > :02:36.speak. It just shows you how nerves can
:02:37. > :02:45.come into the game. He didn't hit that well at all, but he is still
:02:46. > :03:31.OK. He just has to hold himself together two lead 3-2.
:03:32. > :03:52.He decides to take it out of the equation. He looks to play it
:03:53. > :04:09.right-handed. So that was a bit of a steal that
:04:10. > :04:14.for Mark Williams. Mark Williams leads 3-2. Robertson hit straight
:04:15. > :04:20.back to take the match into a deciding frame. Williams is at the
:04:21. > :04:27.table and he is trailing 51 points to 24.
:04:28. > :04:40.On the other hand it has been an intriguing match. He just lost the
:04:41. > :04:45.cue ball. He would like to bring the blue into play because he is 26
:04:46. > :04:50.points behind, but it is too difficult - he is complaining now it
:04:51. > :04:55.bounced off the cushion. A player knows in his own mind whether he has
:04:56. > :05:01.got the pace right and he is just bemused the way the white finish.
:05:02. > :05:08.All of a sudden it sprung off the cushion.
:05:09. > :05:14.He would have liked to have brought the blue into play on his previous
:05:15. > :05:19.shot, but he couldn't hide the cue ball. He had to play one that was
:05:20. > :05:54.definitely going to get the cue ball safe.
:05:55. > :06:06.He can't believe how good a shot he played there. It is all happening.
:06:07. > :06:14.Yes, it's an excellent safety shot he played. Mark is going to be
:06:15. > :06:18.careful here as we see the white disappear. What a good safety shot
:06:19. > :06:30.he played. A similar situation for Neil here.
:06:31. > :06:33.He would do well to miss the cannon on the blue.
:06:34. > :06:36.If he tries to cut the one that's behind the black, he could run it
:06:37. > :06:54.over the pocket. He is going to play for the red
:06:55. > :07:02.that's loose and hopefully knock it safe. This could go wrong. This is
:07:03. > :07:23.dangerous. This is dangerous, but played it well.
:07:24. > :07:33.Well, he didn't want that. He has given Robertson a nice easy start on
:07:34. > :07:42.that red. He has got a lot of work to do with
:07:43. > :08:07.the cue ball. Well, I just can't believe how close
:08:08. > :08:09.he has come. Neither player has taken this part of the frame by the
:08:10. > :08:25.scruff of the neck. He can't really go on to the next
:08:26. > :08:34.red so it is worth just playing a safety shot. It is hard to know what
:08:35. > :08:39.they are going to play. Going Trying to get the green is not a bad
:08:40. > :08:42.option. The yellow is only two points. It is OK. But you know, you
:08:43. > :09:50.are not gaining any advantage from the extra two points.
:09:51. > :10:01.It is vital that he doesn't catch this too thick. A good shot. Well
:10:02. > :10:09.done. That was an excellent shot. Well played.
:10:10. > :10:17.You can just see this match coming down to one really well played
:10:18. > :10:21.safety or one really good pot. I think that's what it is going to be
:10:22. > :10:27.decided on. Again, he played a very think that's what it is going to be
:10:28. > :10:35.good safety. He got a very good cue ball. Mark is in a little bit of
:10:36. > :10:39.trouble here. He can go off this red to the corner pocket. It will be
:10:40. > :10:45.very thin. He is going to have to go off it though to miss the jaws. It
:10:46. > :10:54.is a little bit thicker than he would have liked. And unless Neil
:10:55. > :10:57.Robertson is willing to take a risk, he can go for this red. He is
:10:58. > :11:01.looking to see if there is a gap that he can get in around the three
:11:02. > :11:11.and around the back. Well, he thinks he can and he will probably play it.
:11:12. > :11:19.It is a big shot. A 23 point lead. I think the safety is a better choice.
:11:20. > :11:22.Once again, he can't really hit the red thick enough. The one that's to
:11:23. > :11:29.the extreme right of the table. To A, get the white stuff and B, not
:11:30. > :11:38.stick it in the pocket. That's his problem.
:11:39. > :11:43.Usually when Neil is in a bit of trouble he plays a pot, but it
:11:44. > :11:48.doesn't look like he is playing one here. Unless he decided to play an
:11:49. > :12:30.excellent safety shot. That's close. Well, Mark tells me that facial
:12:31. > :12:35.expression that the white has drifted. If he covered that red, he
:12:36. > :12:45.may even take the pot on in the middle. Cut this in and come in
:12:46. > :12:47.between the gap between the pink and the red. Ah. Now then. Has he
:12:48. > :13:12.covered everything? I think he had a slight kick hearing
:13:13. > :13:27.the contact of it. This still isn't great for Mark, is it? A big shot
:13:28. > :13:31.this. He has played it with total conviction and he needs a little bit
:13:32. > :13:35.of luck with the cue ball and I think he has got it. All of a sudden
:13:36. > :13:41.he has got a chance to get right back into this game and maybe even
:13:42. > :13:44.when this match this visit. He is on the green. He is on the blue. The
:13:45. > :13:51.yellow looks the best choice from here. He played this well as well.
:13:52. > :14:08.This is a good shot. He probably would be reluctant to
:14:09. > :14:12.play the black here. He tried to do and that's what he got. Now that one
:14:13. > :14:17.shot will give him the chance to win frame and match. Those two reds
:14:18. > :14:20.weren't available until he played that cannon. Now then, Mark are
:14:21. > :14:24.Williams, you have done this many times in your career. You cleared up
:14:25. > :14:50.from a few behind and you have only got to do it one more time.
:14:51. > :14:56.Has he played his last shot this the Welsh Open? This black puts him five
:14:57. > :15:09.points in front. He looks at the paper tomorrow
:15:10. > :15:12.morning he will forgive himself for playing poorly. For victory is what
:15:13. > :15:17.it is all about. I am sure his wife, Jo is looking on
:15:18. > :15:35.and got her fingers crossed. Well, this is the last one that can
:15:36. > :15:37.go wrong because the brown goes in and the blue is a certainty. This is
:15:38. > :15:52.frame and match ball. This one shot. Well done, Mark Williams. I don't
:15:53. > :15:54.know how he has done it. He struggled through. But he battled
:15:55. > :16:11.and battled and battled. APPLAUSE
:16:12. > :16:19.I don't know how he made 42 because the last few frames have been really
:16:20. > :16:26.scrappy. He needs to pot this one because Robertson will carry on. He
:16:27. > :16:31.needs one snooker to tie. What a time to make a fabulous break of 48.
:16:32. > :16:37.Very scrappy, but Mark William pulled it out when it mattered most.
:16:38. > :16:44.Not a great match, but that won't make any difference. The fans are on
:16:45. > :16:52.their feet. Mark Williams, the last Welsh survivor goes into the next
:16:53. > :16:58.round. I have not played him many times and to beat him in Wales is an
:16:59. > :17:03.excellent win for me. I played OK in the match as well. I felt a little
:17:04. > :17:07.bit nervous towards the end, but after I pot the red towards the
:17:08. > :17:11.middle all the balls were there and I had to hold myself together and
:17:12. > :17:15.I'm more than happy that I did. What a great result for Williams, Wales
:17:16. > :17:21.and the tournament. Let's round-up some of the day's other stories.
:17:22. > :17:29.Judd Trump breezed through to the last 16 with a 4-1 victory over
:17:30. > :17:32.Scotland's, Anthony McGill. He will now play John Higgins. Matthew
:17:33. > :17:38.Stevens fell at the third round stage. The 20th seed led for most of
:17:39. > :17:45.the match, but he lost to England's Joe Perry.
:17:46. > :17:51.Dominic Dale bowed out of contention. The Welshman feeling
:17:52. > :18:00.under the weather as Mark Selby proved just too good.
:18:01. > :18:08.I started off OK. I had a 70 break the first frame. I was fortunate in
:18:09. > :18:15.the second frame. I managed to capitalise and win the frame and
:18:16. > :18:19.after that I played really solid and didn't really miss much. Ronnie
:18:20. > :18:24.O'Sullivan has shown glimpses of his brilliant best in Newport. His
:18:25. > :18:28.opponent was Xiao Guodong from China. We are going to join it in
:18:29. > :18:31.the first frame. There is no score and the world champion is next to
:18:32. > :18:59.play. He has controlled that very well.
:19:00. > :19:01.Good angle on this red to get position on the blue and to maybe
:19:02. > :19:19.attack the pack of reds. I just think the difference for
:19:20. > :19:23.Ronnie O'Sullivan these days the way he is playing, he has been in a very
:19:24. > :19:30.good place. You think about how long he has been around. He probably had
:19:31. > :19:34.more success I was going to say the last couple of seasons, but
:19:35. > :19:36.obviously he didn't play last year. He looks like a completely different
:19:37. > :20:22.player these days. There is a red to the left of that
:20:23. > :20:26.group of three. There is a pink that Ronnie would like to get on. He
:20:27. > :20:29.maybe able to get on the black. It is awkward to get on the black
:20:30. > :20:55.because there are a lot of reds in the way.
:20:56. > :21:05.He started off like a train. He did in his last match as well. He looked
:21:06. > :21:11.at one stage that he might be making a maximum. It was not to be.
:21:12. > :21:41.He is certainly looking very sharp at the moment, Ronnie in this first
:21:42. > :23:15.frame. But he did yesterday and he struggled afterwards.
:23:16. > :23:34.There are ominous signs for this Young Chinese player, Xiao Guodong.
:23:35. > :24:14.He is on fire at the moment. He caught the wrong side of one of
:24:15. > :24:16.the reds in playing that cannon. The century break is stim on. -- still
:24:17. > :24:51.on. You have got to give it to him, he
:24:52. > :24:57.is unbelievable to watch when he is in full flow. Unbelievable talent.
:24:58. > :25:08.APPLAUSE There is the 100. Well, he is
:25:09. > :25:14.nowhere near the red and he won't be bothered about that. He starts off
:25:15. > :25:20.with a terrific 100. Xiao Guodong knows he has got all to do. Ronnie
:25:21. > :25:25.O'Sullivan leads 1-0. Ronnie O'Sullivan extended his lead to 3-1.
:25:26. > :25:36.To frame five and Xiao Guodong is on a break of 52.
:25:37. > :25:43.I was about to say he will be very disappointed if he doesn't go on to
:25:44. > :25:45.win this frame now. What happened there? Maybe thoughts of the winning
:25:46. > :25:52.line in this frame? Let's have a look. He just didn't
:25:53. > :26:12.strike it truly. Could he possibly have played his
:26:13. > :26:14.last shot in this match now? Only he is normally deadly from positions
:26:15. > :26:36.like this. The only half safe ball would be the
:26:37. > :26:41.brown and it is quite close to that corner pocket. I don't think that's
:26:42. > :26:50.going to cause him much trouble. What a miss that was. It looked
:26:51. > :26:53.really good as well. He was cueing great. How he missed this. It is
:26:54. > :28:26.just unbelievable. Too easy. A perfect angle to stun off the
:28:27. > :28:34.yellow. He has got all the colours now, Ronnie. It is all about getting
:28:35. > :28:38.a nice angle off the brown. It is the only possible saviour for Xiao
:28:39. > :29:06.Guodong, but I don't think it's going to save him.
:29:07. > :29:12.He is dead straight on the green so he has got a lot more distance
:29:13. > :29:20.between cue ball and object ball. And he is going to have to play a
:29:21. > :29:50.deep screw. And that's good as well. What a terrific shot.
:29:51. > :29:58.A great performance from Ronnie O'Sullivan. He clinched victory by
:29:59. > :30:04.4-1 over his Chinese compatriot, Xiao Guodong. He goes through to the
:30:05. > :30:08.last 16. I practised with him a lot. He beat me two years ago 4-0 and I
:30:09. > :30:13.hardly got a shot really. You always have to, you know, what the man is
:30:14. > :30:19.capable of so in the back of your mind you are weary, but that kind of
:30:20. > :30:23.makes you play a bit better as well sometimes. It was good.
:30:24. > :30:28.Well, the fourth Welshman to play today was Andrew Pagett. He is a
:30:29. > :30:34.regular practise partner of Mark Williams. Today he faced Stephen
:30:35. > :30:38.Maguire who fought his way through a serious bout of back pain to reach
:30:39. > :30:44.this stage. Ofs moving more freely and raced into a 3-0 lead. Andrew
:30:45. > :30:49.Pagett conceded 20 points in fouls. We are going to join it with Maguire
:30:50. > :31:57.at the table and he is leading by 48 points.
:31:58. > :32:08.This is not the first good opportunity he had in the match, you
:32:09. > :32:17.but he hasn't really troubled the score too much. It could be a good
:32:18. > :32:23.time to start now. He did mention to me earlier on in his last round he
:32:24. > :32:24.thought it was lightening fast and he found it difficult to control
:32:25. > :34:33.them. I don't think there is many people
:34:34. > :34:36.in the audience that wouldn't like to see him clear up and win a frame.
:34:37. > :34:39.It is disappointing when you go out there and don't really show up. Many
:34:40. > :34:56.people have done it over the years. This is his best effort so far. 29.
:34:57. > :35:17.Hopefully a bit more to come. Well, once again when he is in a
:35:18. > :35:22.great position to possibly win a frame. This is something fairly
:35:23. > :35:32.rudimentary. He missed this by a long way. Possibly too much cannon
:35:33. > :35:40.he had to play. Well, he couldn't have gifted Stephen Maguire a better
:35:41. > :35:41.opportunity at a better time. This should secure another victory for
:35:42. > :36:20.him. Well, everything that's happening
:36:21. > :36:25.now is purely academic. Stephen Maguire has secured this fourth
:36:26. > :36:56.frame. It will see him through to the last 16 tie with Joel Walker.
:36:57. > :37:04.He is not going to worry about the black. Stephen is through to the
:37:05. > :37:09.last black. Stephen is through to the
:37:10. > :37:12.Pagett. I played a lot better black. Stephen is through to the
:37:13. > :37:17.it expected to play. I wasn't too good the first match, but when I got
:37:18. > :37:20.in there, I fancied potting balls which is a nice feeling. It is hard
:37:21. > :37:26.on Andrew Pagett because all the fans want him to win and you know,
:37:27. > :37:32.I've played in Glasgow a few times and I don't handle it very well. It
:37:33. > :37:37.is pressure, not to me, because they are not here to watch me. When
:37:38. > :37:42.Andrew started missing, I knew how he was feeling and it is not nice.
:37:43. > :37:46.That's the best I played out of the three matches. Hopefully tomorrow
:37:47. > :37:51.just capitalise on that and hopefully push on. The last match to
:37:52. > :38:25.finish tonight was a cliffhanger. It was the 2012 Welsh Open winner
:38:26. > :38:34.against Ding Junhui. Mark Williams plays Marco Fu.
:38:35. > :38:40.And it is that match featuring the world champion that you can see in
:38:41. > :38:45.our next programme at 1pm tomorrow afternoon here on BBC Two Wales. The
:38:46. > :39:27.race is on for the quarter-finals. From all of us here. Good night. .
:39:28. > :39:30.What does Austria want? I mean, what does she want?