Doherty out on his ear after Ding thrashing

DING JUNHUI reached his first ever major quarter-final with an outstanding 6-1 win over former world champion Ken Doherty at the Riley's Club Masters at Wembley.

The 17-year-old Chinese starlet started with a brilliant 141 clearance in the opening frame to take the lead for the £10,000 highest break prize.

Doherty, twice a Masters finalist, contributed to his own downfall with a succession of missed opportunities.

And the combination ensured Ding advanced to a last eight meeting with Ronnie O'Sullivan.

"Ding has a good all-round game," said Doherty, struggling with a debilitating ear infection.

"He is quite mature for 17 and looks very relaxed on the big stage. He just needs a bit more experience to go to the next level and that comes from playing in tournaments like this.

"Once he tightens up he's going to be an even tougher opponent."

Doherty's only success came in the second frame and Junhui's break of 52 took him into a 3-1 interval lead.

It was 4-1 when Doherty missed a black off its spot with a possible chance to clear the table. And another miss on the pink in frame six proved decisive.

The 35-year-old world number seven did force a re-spotted black finish to the frame but it was Junhui who knocked in the seven-pointer.

Doherty's 47 in the seventh frame was his best of the contest but even that could not inspire him to a comeback.

"I wasn't 100% because of the ear trouble but when you've got an illness, you've just got to get on with it."

Junhui earned his crack at Doherty by defeating Hong Kong rival Marco Fu in the opening round on Monday.

Ronnie O'Sullivan revealed he has renewed his world championship-winning partnership with Ray Reardon.

World number one O'Sullivan played in Newport and Malta without calling upon the advice and wisdom of the 72-year-old Welsh great.

But after beating Scotsman Graeme Dott 6-3, the Rocket revealed six-times world champion Reardon is back in his corner.

With Dott threatening to repeat his recent Malta Cup victory at the mid-session interval, the Londoner called upon Reardon for help.

"He told me all the potential outcomes that could have happened, and I went out in a more positive frame of mind," said O'Sullivan.

"I wouldn't ask Ray to tournaments where I wasn't 100% focused. But he's here for this one and he'll be at Sheffield for the world championship.

"It wasn't the real Ronnie O'Sullivan in Malta, and I shouldn't have gone. Even Stevie Wonder would have beaten me 5-0."

lJohn Higgins did his best to banish the memory of his Malta Cup collapse against Graeme Dott by reaching the last eight.

Higgins, the 1999 Masters champion, won 6-1 and now faces Stephen Hendry or Stephen Lee.