Drago through after 5-3 win

Tony Drago kept his brilliant season going with a hard-fought 5-3 win over Shi Shuamgyang at the Sanyuan Foods China Open, yesterday.

Quickfire cueman Drago's match was surprisingly the last of the four to finish in the evening session in Beijing, but that little mattered to the Maltese magician as he booked a last 32 meeting with Joe Perry.

Drago looked in trouble at 3-2 down, but crucially stole frame six with a brown to black clearance, then got the better of a scrappy seventh frame before finishing in style with a break of 120.

"He kept going for the wrong shots and in the end they stopped going in. If he'd played more safety he could have beaten me 5-1," Drago was quoted as saying on worldsnooker.com.

"He reminded me of me, 25 years ago. If he tightens up he will be a very good player.

"This time last year I was off the Tour and losing my love of the game. Then I met up with Jimmy White and said that with my talent I should keep going.

"I went to practise with him at his club in London and I've turned it around. I've won 17 out of 22 matches this season, I think only one or two players on the Tour have won more. If I can do the same next season I could be in the top 32, although I will need more of the same hard work."

Earlier in the day, Andrew Higginson romped to a 5-0 win over Li Yan to set up a first-round clash with Stephen Hendry.

The 32-year-old from Widnes, who made his World Championship debut last year, proved far too strong for his Chinese opponent at the Beijing Students University Stadium and will face seven-time world champion Hendry tomorrow.

Another Englishman, Robert Milkins, is also through after completing a straightforward 5-2 victory over Lu Chenwei.

Milkins will now face Ryan Day in the first round proper.