World number 79 Ken Doherty is continuing to improve after edging past John Astley in the opening round of the Indian Open. The 47-year-old struggled for consistency last season and fell off the main tour at the end of the term before he was offered a lifeline. Doherty accepted an invitational card to get back onto the circuit and he has since done everything in his power to try and rebuild his reputation.
The Irishman has qualified for every ranking event so far in 2017 and he remains hopeful of forcing his way back into the top 64 in the world rankings. Doherty recently made it through to the semi-finals at the Riga Masters and he is eyeing another strong run at the current event in Visakhapatnam. Doherty faced a tough opening-round engagement after being drawn against Englishman Astley but he held his nerve in the closing stages to prevail 4-3. The 1997 world champion has only previously lost to Astley once and he will now need to overcome another Englishman in Sam Baird in round two.
The depleted field at the fourth ranking event of the season has left the competition wide open and Doherty will be confident of going far. However, the likes of Stuart Bigham, Mark Allen, Mark King and Graeme Dott all remain in the hunt and are likely to prove tough to beat in the latter stages. Mark King is priced at 21/20 to come out on top in his clash with Graeme Dott, who can be backed at 3/4 to triumph on Thursday.
Indian Open odds available at Dafabet.