China’s Liang Wenbo staged another impressive fightback to reach the UK Championship quarter-finals with a 6-5 victory over Tom Ford on Thursday, keeping motivated by slapping himself in the face.
The 28-year-old had come from 4-1 down to defeat Judd Trump in the previous round and this time he recovered from a 5-3 deficit to book his place in the last eight at The York Barbican.
Liang slapped himself on the face in frustration at several crucial mistakes, but his frustration gave way to delight in the final frame when he celebrated with a roar and pump of the first.
Playing to stay in the tournament in the 10th, Liang produced a timely 53 to seize the initiative only for the break to end with a poor blue to the middle that forced him to play a safety.
The world number 29 struck his face and his anxiety grew as Ford raced to 27 until a black hugged the pocket instead of dropping, giving Liang an easy clearance to set up the decider.
The quarter-finals beckoned as he amassed 49 before poor shot selection allowed Ford back in. The world number 52 spied his chance but missed a simple long pink and Liang made no mistake to clean up.
Meanwhile, Australia’s Neil Robertson joined Liang in the last eight with an emphatic 6-1 victory over Scotland’s Stephen Maguire.
Maguire made a strong start when a break of 118 enable him to take the opening frame, only to then lose six in a row and exit the tournament.
The world number 15 failed to score a point in the next three frames, with former world champion Robertson firing 126 in the second, and put up a bit more resistance in the fifth.
Robertson was in full control, however, and completed the rout with a break of 113 in the decisive frame.