Doherty rolls back years with six of the best

FORMER world champion Ken Doherty won six frames in a row as he came back from 2-0 down to beat China’s Yuan Sijun 6-2 in the opening round of the UK Championship in York.

A break of 130 drew the Dubliner level at 2-2 and he rattled off the next four frames with further scores of 50 and 82 in frames six and seven.

The 49-year-old, world champion in 1997, could face six-time winner Ronnie O’Sullivan, who plays Luke Simmonds tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Northern Ireland Open champion Judd Trump found it easy going against David Lilley as he breezed into the next round with a 6-0 win.

Trump had two century breaks on his way to victory, with a 113 the clincher in the final frame.

Former UK Championship winners Neil Robertson and Ding Junhui made short work of their opening games to reach the second round.

Australian Robertson, winner of the event in 2013 and 2015, beat Welshman Kishan Hirani 6-2.

The world number 10 produced five 50-plus breaks and a best of 110 in the fifth frame.

Chinese star Ding, like Robertson a two-time UK champion, coasted to a 6-1 victory over Poland’s Adam Stefanow.

Jack Lisowski was the first man to progress to the second round and did so in style as his 6-1 defeat of China’s Zhang Jiankang included two century breaks.

Lisowski compiled scores of at least 50 in six of the seven frames, setting the trend with an 82 in the opener and making breaks of 120 and 115 in the second and penultimate frames.

Antrim’s Mark Allen begins his title push against World No.126 Basem Eltahhan of Egypt, while Joe Swail is also in action today when he takes on Michael White in his first round tie. Fellow Ulsterman Jordan Brown tackles Jimmy Robertson.