Snooker: Stephen Hendry reached the quarter-finals of the Malta Cup today as he bids to capture his first world ranking title in two years.
The seven-times world champion, who has not added to his record haul of 36 ranking trophies since the 2005 Malta Cup, made the last eight of this year's event with a 5-0 whitewash of Australia's Neil Robertson.
It took Hendry only 82 minutes to see off Robertson at the Portomaso Hilton Conference Centre and set up a meeting with Ali Carter.
Welshman Ryan Day, the first round conqueror of Matthew Stevens, equalled his personal best run in a ranking event by edging former British Open champion Fergal O'Brien of Ireland .
Day led 4-2, O'Brien rallied to 4-4 with breaks of 65 and 101 but missed a tricky red to a middle pocket early in the decider and world number 17 Day stepped in with a match-clinching contribution of 55.
In what will be only his third ranking quarter-final but his second of the season after the Northern Ireland Trophy, Day will play Mark King or Michael Holt.