STEPHEN MAGUIRE admitted he had “no belief” that he was going to rescue his match against Luca Brecel.
The Scotsman, winner at York in 2004, was 5-2 behind against the young Belgian but managed to reel off four frames in a row to book a last 32 clash with the in-form Liang Wenbo.
Brecel had his chances, including in the concluding 11th frame, and Maguire said: “I didn’t fancy that at all at 5-2. I didn’t fancy spinning off four frames and I am just very relieved.
“Even the last frame could have gone either way. I didn’t believe. I was just trying to hang in there.”
It was similarly fraught for Matthew Stevens, but a superb long pink edged him past Yu Delu 6-5 and into the third round.
“It was about time I potted one ball,” he said. “It was a poor game. Yu Delu probably played better than me and how I won I don’t know. I am still in, so I can improve.”
But while Maguire and Stevens survived, Mark Davis did not. The world number 13 exited yesterday afternoon, beaten 6-5 by Scott Donaldson.
Donaldson, 76 places lower than his opponent in the rankings, punched the table when he potted the final pink and said: “All I can remember is the last frame. I made a 31 break and didn’t know how I did it because I could hardly walk.
“It’s the best feeling in the world. My dad was here to watch and that makes it even better.”
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