Drago beats Liu Song 10-7

Tony Drago moved another step closer to the first round proper of the prestigious World Championship in Sheffield next month after clearing the second hurdle in the qualifying process when he beat China's Liu Song 10-7 last night.

Drago surged into a 6-3 lead after the opening session but the Tornado must have been pleased to have finished with a sizeable lead.

After they shared the opening two frames, Drago then took a close third before forcing a snooker in the next which allowed him to take it on the black for a 3-1 lead.

That lead soon became 5-1 with runs of 58 and 65. Liu responded with breaks of 45 and 47 to reduce his arrears before Drago claimed the last frame of the session.

Song and Drago shared the opening four frames after the restart but the former set up a pulsating finale after claiming frames no. 14 and 15 to pull back to 7-8.

Drago, however, kept hold of his nerves to clinch the next two frames and secure a place in the third qualifying round where he meets Ian McCulloch tomorrow.