Dubliner Ken Doherty brought the first round of the Citywest Irish Masters to a close last night with a 5-1 victory over England's Stuart Bingham.
The former world champion has endured a disappointing season but he finished with a flourish to set up a meeting with Scottish Open champion Gray.
Doherty delighted his home crowd with breaks of 97 and 99 at the end of a game of contrasting fortunes.
The first four frames took one hour and 57 minutes to complete with Doherty's top effort just 27. The final couple of frames were over in 16 minutes as the world number six narrowly missed a couple of centuries.
"There was a lot of pressure out there, particularly after my results in the last few tournaments," said Doherty. "Those first four frames were so scrappy and I much prefer winning them like I did at the end. It was great to win with a flourish."
Peter Ebdon, world champion in 2002, qualified for the last eight with a 5-3 win over 1995 Embassy finalist Nigel Bond. He now plays defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan or Brian Morgan.
PA