KEN DOHERTY erased the memory of a 6-0 whitewash at the hands of Steve Davis, last year by reaching the quarter finals of the £500,000 British Masters at Wembley Conference Centre yesterday.
Doherty, humiliated by Davis at the corresponding stage of last year's event, advanced by beating Alain Robidoux 6-2 after a hard fought three hours and five minutes contest.
He is now sure to collect at least £23,000 - his largest single cheque of the season so far - which supersedes the £18,500 he pocketed as a result of figuring in the last four of November's UK Championship.
Coincidentally, Doherty trounced Robidoux 9-3 to secure that semi final spot at Preston but the French Canadian had prevailed in both of their previous two meetings and Doherty began this latest encounter fiercely determined to level their personal head to head series.
When the 27 year old Dubliner swiftly established a 2-0 lead with breaks of 57 and 104, Robidoux, runner up in December's German Open, looked in deep trouble. But he battled to victory in a dour 44 minute third frame only to waste a golden opportunity to tie the scores at 2-2.
Doherty's opponent in the quarter final will be Mark Williams, who benefited from a succession of unforced errors from John Higgins to score an impressive 6-4 victory last night.
"I had millions of chances, I just kept missing balls all over the place," admitted Williams, who started so explosively by sprinting into a 3-0 lead in only 28 minutes.
