Hunter - 6-2 ahead.
ALL TO PLAY FOR AT THE CRUCIBLE
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The middle Sunday of the 2003 Embassy World Championship won't go down in the
history of the tournament as a day of riveting snooker.
But the quality is expected to rise on Monday as the remaining four places in the
quarter-finals will be decided.
There are already two Scots into the last eight - Stephen Hendry and John
Higgins - and the number could double if Alan McManus and Graeme Dott do the
business against Ken Doherty and Marco Fu.
Paul Hunter will attempt to swell the home contingent to three by joining
English rivals Peter Ebdon and Stephen Lee in the next round.
And the competition could have a real continental feel about it should Hong
Kong's number one Fu and Quinten Hann of Australia negotiate their second-round
matches.
Dott, Fu, Hunter and Mark Williams start favourites to reach the quarters.
The latter trio all hold four-frame leads while Dott has the hardest task of
holding on to a 9-7 cushion against Doherty, the solitary Irishman left in
contention.
Glaswegian Dott held off a battling recovery by the 1997 world champion when
he saw a 7-2 lead evaporate in a couple of hours.
But just when Dubliner Doherty expected to go on and build an overnight lead,
Dott recovered his poise to take the final two frames of the night.
And that advantage could be decisive when the match enters its closing stages
on Monday afternoon.
Doherty, once beaten 6-5 in the Scottish Open semi-finals by the tenacious
Rangers fan, won't give up.
But he knows he must add weight to his scoring as his best break so far is a
disappointing 68.
World number 27 Fu is proving far from a one-game wonder. He stunned title
favourite Ronnie O'Sullivan in the last round and now has McManus where he wants
him - four frames behind.
McManus has not reached the semi-finals at the Crucible since 1993 and for the
past two seasons has lost in the first round.
The world number 15 can only improve his dismal world championship record by
taking seven of the final nine frames. A tall order against the former world
amateur champion in such determined mood.
Melbourne-based Hann, the first Aussie playing in the top flight since Eddie
Charlton, enjoyed a great start against Welshman Williams.
But then it all went pear-shaped for Hann as the provisional world number one
hit six of the best to end the opening session of three with a 6-2 lead.
It's hard to see Hann making any real in-roads into the deficit as Williams is
playing for a quarter-final showdown with seven-times world champion Stephen
Hendry.
Paul Hunter was the one bright spark to light up the Crucible on Sunday.
In arguably the tie of the last 16, the British Open champion from Leeds
ripped apart 2000 Embassy finalist Matthew Stevens 6-2.
He had some good fortune as well, fluking the pink at the end of frame seven
to lead 5-2.
But Hunter, attempting to become the first Yorkshireman since Joe Johnson in
1986 to lift the trophy, had no trouble scoring the big breaks.
His best was 110 in frame four and he also made further runs of 55, 50, 45, 54
and 58.
Hunter's performance showed the players can compile the breaks despite claims
by John Higgins on Saturday - after talking to a table technician - that the
pockets had been tightened by 1/16th of an inch.
However, tournament director Mike Ganley insists: "The templates have not
changed at all. Nothing is different to any other tournament this season.
"The table-fitter did not tell John the pockets were smaller. They had a
conversation and it sounds like they were at cross purposes.
"I've spoken to John since and he's happy with my explanation.
"We endeavour to give the players the best playing conditions at every event
so there would be no reason to reduce the pocket sizes without telling them."
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