HAWK SWOOPS INTO SEMIS AFTER BASHING BINGTAO

BARRY HAWKINS roared back to form as he clinched a place in his first semi-final of the season at the Welsh Open.

The Hawk (above) knocked in huge breaks of 137 and 141, in a 5-1 victory over Chinese teenager Yan Bingtao, at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena.

World No.8 Hawkins has endured a tough season, with off-table issues in the form of a family tragedy contributing to below-par results. But the 38-year-old from Kent, who now plays Thailand’s world No.58 Noppon Saengkham, is a former World Championship runner-up at the Crucible, and already a winner of three ranking titles.

Afterwards, Hawkins said: “I felt good today, that performance has been coming for a while. I had been struggling with my form this season, but I felt like it was coming back. I didn’t give Yan many chances, and nicking the fourth frame was big. “He’s just the 20 years younger than me – but he is knocking on the door already and has a decent all-round game.” Saengkham (left) beat Preston’s Ian Burns 5-3 to reach the semi-finals of a major tournament for the first time in his career.