KEN Doherty kissed goodbye to the Betfred.com World Championship as Mark Selby charged through to the second round.
After failing to qualify 12 months ago, Doherty was so thrilled to clinch his place in the draw this time that he entered the arena yesterday and planted a kiss on the theatre floor.
The 40-year-old Dubliner, who was champion at the Crucible in 1997, was more restrained as his match against Selby resumed this afternoon.
He had business to set about after allowing Selby to open up a 6-3 lead in their opening session, but overturning that deficit proved a challenge Doherty could not rise to.
He won just one further frame, the 12th, as Selby showed why he is a serious title contender, taking his chances when they came along.
Selby had a chance of a 147 maximum break in the final frame, but missed the 11th black after reaching 81.
Selby, from Leicester, landed the Masters title at Wembley in January but in the ranking events he has underperformed this season and is provisionally ranked only 12th for 2010/11.
That position does not start to explain his talent, and there was good reason why he began his latest Crucible mission as the third favourite, behind Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins, the latter his conqueror in a thrilling Sheffield quarter-final last year.
The 26-year-old began positively today, taking a first frame which always looked likely to be important thanks to a couple of solid scoring visits.
A break of 82 made it 8-3, and although Doherty pinched one back the Irishman was being overwhelmed.
Doherty was first in with 37 in the next frame but missed a black off its spot and 80 from Selby was severe punishment.
The maximum was out of reach, so Selby missed a possible £157,000 jackpot, but he goes on to take on Stephen Hendry or Zhang Anda in the last 16.
Cwm's Mark Williams starts against Scotland's Marcus Campbell at 10am tomorrow.
Fellow Welshman Ryan Day takes on Englishman Mark Davis at 10am on Tuesday.
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