Alcaide had a match-winning piece of luck in the final game as he narrowly avoided scratching o­n a safety. Drago’s response was not precise enough and Alcaide held his nerve to complete a great win and set up a last 32 clash Po-cheng Kuo.

Afterwards Alcaide was delighted in victory. “I was very, very nervous at the start. Tony has much more experience in the TV conditions, he said.

“When he got to the hill, it was just a question of hoping that he would make a mistake and let me in. I’m so happy to be in the next round.

“I don’t know much about Kuo but clearly he is a good player. I’m o­n a learning curve at the moment and just hoping for the best.”

Tournament Brackets for the 2004 World Pool Championship

Table Schedules for Round of 32

Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news from the sport of billiards and pool.