Liang Wenbo keeps up strong UK start

There could be two Chinese players in the quarter-finals with 2005 UK winner Ding Junhui.

Chinese snooker star Liang Wenbo breezed through his second round match at the UK Championship here on Tuesday with a 9-2 thrashing of England's Mark King.

Liang had started this year's edition of snooker's second most important tournament with an overwhelming first round 9-3 win over Wales's Ryan Day and was even more convincing as he booked his place in the quarter-finals.

Against King, he made five breaks over 50 and saved his best for the final frame of the match with a contribution of 72.

Even so Liang, who reached the final of this year's Shanghai Masters, was far from happy with his own performance and said he would have to improve in the last eight, where he will face the winner of the match between world champion John Higgins and Australia's Neil Robertson.

- I didn't play well but I'm happy with the result - Liang told worldsnooker.com. - My next match will be harder. -

There could be two Chinese players in the quarter-finals with 2005 UK winner Ding Junhui leading defending champion Shaun Murphy 6-2 and needing just three more frames for victory.

In other second round matches, four-times UK champion Ronnie O'Sullivan led fellow Englishman Peter Ebdon by the same scoreline at the end of their first session having made two centuries.

Definitely through to the quarter-finals is Scotland's Stephen Maguire, the 2004 UK winner, who beat England's Stuart Bingham 9-3.