China's Xiao reaches last 64 in snooker UK Championship

YORK, England - China's Xiao Guodong crushed Andrew Pagett of Wales 6-1 to reach the last 64 of the snooker UK Championship.

Xiao, ranked 28th in the world, fired in breaks of 56, 72, 57, 51 and 125 in a convincing win over Pagett.

"I think I played a free and fluent match and I wasn't worrying about the result," said the 24-year-old Xiao. "The only frame I lost was due to low concentration.

"I haven't been practising a lot but my mindset was good. It's your performance during a competition, that's what really counts.

Xiao has made breakthrough in his career this season, reaching the final at the Shanghai Masters and winning the gold medal at the Asian Indoor Games in incheon, South Korea.

Elsewhere, former British Open champion Fergal O'Brien saw off Alex Davies 6-2 with a top run of 69. Mark King beat Ross Muir 6-1 despite a top break of just 47 while Jamie O'Neill scored a 6-2 win over Mark Joyce.

A total of 14 Chinese players are competing in the 600,000-pound UK Championship, with twice winner Ding Junhui, the world No. 3, will show up on Saturday.