WORLD champion Ronnie O'Sullivan's third round opponent Dave Finbow has quit the tournament because of anxiety.

Finbow, whitewashed 8-0 by O'Sullivan yesterday afternoon in the first session of their best of 17 match, was due to resume the action this afternoon but decided he had had enough.

World number 47 Finbow, from Worcester, has been suffering from an anxiety disorder which had already made him announce recently that he will retire at the end of the season.

He had beaten David Gray and Dave Harold on his way to the last 16, but his problems surfaced to such an extent against O'Sullivan that he scored a total of just 90 points yesterday.

"Towards the end of the first frame I realised something wasn't quite right," he said. "I started feeling dizzy and nauseous. I felt like I didn't have a cue in my hand and couldn't see the pockets or the angles.."

There are now four players through to the quarter-finals at the Barbican Leisure Centre: O'Sullivan, Stephen Hendry, Peter Ebdon and Stephen Lee.

O'Sullivan plays Ebdon for a place in the semi-finals. But Ebdon was given a fright last night before completing a 9-7 win over Malta's Tony Drago, who fought back from 6-2 down overnight to only one frame behind at 8-7. Drago, who had come from 6-2 down to beat Fergal O'Brien in the previous round, was firing on all cylinders again and included a 125 break while winning three frames in a row before Ebdon delivered the knockout blow.

"When you lose a couple of frames in ten minutes it is a bit shell-shocking," Ebdon said later. "I didn't play well, but a win is a win."

Hendry was the first player through to the last eight when he won the first three frames against Mark Davis yesterday to complete a 9-2 third round win.

"I felt pretty good," said the seven-times world champion, whose triumph in the European Open in Malta ten days ago was his first title for 27 months. "It's not quite like the good old days yet and I'm not saying I will win this tournament but I've as good a chance as anyone."

Hendry's next opponent will be either Mark Williams or Alan McManus, who were playing their third round match today.

Welshman Matthew Stevens kept his nerve to knock out Jimmy White yesterday. Trailing 5-3 overnight and playing like a shadow of his former self, the 'Whirlwind' managed to recover from 8-5 down to 8-7 but Stevens sent the people's favourite packing in the next frame.

"After he nicked those two frames when I was leading 8-5 I kept battling and held it together," said Stevens. "I feel more relaxed when I am playing the longer frame matches, rather than just nine frames."

Next in line for him is either fellow Welshman Dominic Dale or Dubliner Ken Doherty, who were finishing their third round match this afternoon. Doherty took a 6-2 lead last night, compiling a 107 break in the second frame but Dale hit the highest break of the televised stages with a 140 in the seventh frame.

Stephen Lee, who beat Ebdon in the LG Cup final in October, continued his progress by completing a 9-4 win over Robin Hull yesterday. "Nicking the first couple of frames was just what I needed," said Lee, who made breaks of 136 and 137.

Defending champion David Causley retained the UK billiards title when he beat his fellow Teessider Peter Gilchrist 5-4 in the billiards final played in front of about fifty spectators at the Barbican yesterday morning.

Today's matches

Third round (best of 17 frames)

1pm: John Higgins v Paul Hunter, Mark Williams v Alan McManus.

Afternoon (after finish of first session of first two matches): Dominic Dale v Ken Doherty.

7.30pm: John Higgins v Paul Hunter, Mark Williams v Alan McManus.

Updated: 09:19 Tuesday, December 11, 2001