Day seven of the ENOC UAE Open Snooker Championship saw Al Ain's Shadi Faraj blast through into round three after taking apart in-form Mohammad Hosani from Abu Dhabi.
With the first two shared, it was Faraj who dominated the next two frames with the help of a 52 break to stamp his authority on the evening's play at Dubai Snooker Club.
The second player to go through was Marwan Ebrahim. With a simpler shot selection than earlier and a more reliable cue delivery through intelligent practice, it was Ebrahim all the way from the off.
Although Ebrahim was expected to beat Hashim Hussain anyway, it was refreshing to see him play with a calm aura rather than an attacking impatience.
The third match saw Abdul Rahim Khouri's exasperation reach fever pitch. Having already travelled all the way from Al Ain for his first match only to discover he had a walkover against a no-show opponent, Khouri was looking forward to this second game to get used to the match tables at last.
But he was unlucky the second time too as his opponent revealed himself as another of the tournament's promise breakers.
Something surely has to be done about players who are informed of their game and yet refuse to show up. Making and breaking promises is a bad habit that spoils their own reputation and, more importantly, the experience of their opponents.
With the first two shared, it was Faraj who dominated the next two frames with the help of a 52 break to stamp his authority on the evening's play at Dubai Snooker Club.
