Gould reaches UK quarter-finals with ‘ugly’ win

Martin Gould reached the quarter-finals of the UK Championship for only the second time in his career with a 6-4 win over Xiao Guodong on Thursday.

The Pinner Potter hit an 82 in the opening frame and closed out victory with breaks of 69 and 66 against the world number 34.

However, Gould – who could face Ronnie O’Sullivan next – admitted afterwards the match had not seen either player at their best.

“I think we both struggled a little bit,” he said.

“I felt really good in the first frame and then had to draw on my battling qualities to get myself through. Sometimes you have to win ugly.”

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