Snooker: Graeme Dott brushed aside as Ding Junhui reaches semi

The Chinese player compiled three sparkling centuries before the mid-session interval and two half-centuries thereafter to see off an out-of-sorts Dott.

The Scotsman struggled for fluency throughout, missing a host of easy balls, and his highest break was just 38.

Ding roared out of the blocks to take the first two frames with breaks of 124 and 108, showing no signs of the stuttering form which marked his first-round win over Mark Williams.

A scrappy third , which at one stage looked set for a re-rack, eventually went the way of Dott but the Chinese star was at his fluent best again in frame four, a second 124 seeing him to a 3-1 interval lead.

Dott closed the gap in the first frame back, limping over the line by potting the green after a near ten-minute safety battle.

But he broke down on 38 in the next after an unfortunate split of the reds and Ding took advantage. He missed a relatively straightforward yellow with another century in prospect, but a break of 74 was enough for a 4-2 lead.

Dott missed an easy red and yellow in the next to allow Ding to move to the verge of victory and a 52 break in frame eight was enough to see him over the line.

Ding will now face Jamie Cope in tomorrow evening's semi-final after the Englishman beat fellow countryman Mark King 6-1.

King made an opening break of 48 in the first frame, but let Cope back in and was punished, and the 25-year-old from Stoke surged into a 4-0 interval lead with sharp breaks of 66, 51 and 53.

A superb 102 from King cut Cope's lead, but the Essex potter would not win another frame as his mistakes piled up.