Ebdon crashes out

Nigel Bond caused the biggest upset of the 2009 Betfred.com World Championships so far after defeating former champion Peter Ebdon 10-5 at the Crucible on Tuesday.

Bond, who was a losing finalist back in 1995 but has struggled at the highest level since, triumphed in a gruelling battle of wits with Ebdon, the 2002 world champion and recent winner of the China Open.

Having trailed 5-3 after the morning session, it was Ebdon who initially sprung to life in the evening, taking the first two frames to draw the match level. But from there Bond never looked back and the player rated at 500-1 for the title prior to the tournament moved steadily into its second round, where he will meet the winner of the match between Ryan Day and Stephen Lee.

Meanwhile, in his record-breaking 29th appearance at the Crucible, veteran Steve Davis finished the opening session of his first round match trailing Australian Neil Robertson 7-2.

Earlier, 2008 semi-finalist Joe Perry became the first major casualty of this year's tournament after he was sent crashing out by Jamie Cope.

Having started the afternoon session 5-4 down, Cope produced a mature display against the world number 12, racing into a 7-5 lead before keeping his nerve to complete a 10-6 victory.

Ding Junhui, will face Stephen Hendry in a repeat of last year's second round match after defeating compatriot Liang Wenbo on Tuesday morning.

The all-Chinese blockbuster did not disappoint its huge audience after the world number 11 came through a pulsating contest to triumph 10-8 in front an enthralled Crucible crowd and an estimated 100 million television viewers in the Far East.

Shaun Murphy's clash with Andrew Higginson pitted a former world champion against a Crucible debutant, but both were playing like amateurs for long periods of a poor opening session.

Murphy produced one delightful century break but it was an otherwise lacklustre display from the 2005 champion and he will feel relieved to have finished the session 5-4 in front.