Match Reports from the 888.com World Snooker Championship
Ali Lands Knock-Out Blow !
Ali Carter 10 – 4 Andy Hicks
Ali Carter finished off Andy Hicks without much difficulty to set up a second round meeting with Stephen Hendry.
Trailing 7-2 from the first session, Hicks needed a fast start to have any chance of progressing. He took two of the first three frames to give him hope at 8-4, but lacked the consistency to put Carter under real pressure.
The 27-year-old was not able to hit the heights of the first session, where he made two centuries. He did enough to progress, and wrapped up the match in the 14th frame after Hicks made a mess of two safety shots.
The win was only Carter’s second in five Crucible campaigns. He needs a decent tournament to stay in the top 16 for next year, but he did beat Hendry in this season’s Malta Cup.
By David Pritchard
