Mark Williams was hailed as one of the greatest players in the history of snooker after he made a winning start to his British Open campaign last night.

The world No. 1 beat Michael Holt 5-2 at the Brighton Centre to set up a third round clash with Fergal O'Brien tonight.

Astonishingly, this was Williams' 48th successive win in the opening round of a ranking tournament.

Holt believes someone will have to play out of their skin to stop him adding the British Open to the LG Cup he won last month.

Holt said: "I think he is one of the best ever players and someone will need to produce something special to beat him.

"There is no disgrace in losing to him because he is a great player.

"I didn't do too much wrong, but he was still too good for me."

Williams looked set to take the first frame until he missed a straight-forward red and Holt made him pay with a clearance of 69.

The reigning world champion responded by taking the next with a break of 60 and went 2-1 ahead with a clearance of 111 in the third.

Williams took a scrappy fourth frame to lead 3-1 at the interval.

Holt came out firing on all cylinders after the restart to take the fifth with a break of 104.

Holt had his chances to win the next to level at 3-3, but failed to take them and Williams wrapped up victory with 104 break in the seventh frame.

Williams said: "I played really well and always felt I was going to win the match, but I am not sure whether that is a good thing, as in previous tournaments I have felt I was going to get beaten and then gone on to do well.

"I felt I was going to get a break every time I came to the table and that is the way you've got to play to win competitions.

"It is hard to maintain that form but I know I can do it."

Defending champion Paul Hunter survived a scare against David Gray to become the first person to book his place in the quarter-finals on Friday.

Hunter looked well in control when he took a 3-1 lead into the interval and was on the verge of victory at 4-2 before Gray took the seventh frame on a respotted black.

However, Hunter held his nerve to win the eighth frame and set up a clash with Stephen Lee who brushed aside Tony Drago 5-0 in the evening's other match.

Lee, a former Grand Prix, LG Cup and Scottish Open champion, fired in breaks of 49, 81, 120 and 44 in clinching a 4-0 lead for the loss of only 30 points, at one stage amassing 319 points without reply.

Drago, who beat crowd favourite Jimmy White 5-2 in the previous round, had a chance to avert the whitewash but Lee eventually won the fifth to storm through to the last eight.

Veteran Steve Davis suffered his second successive defeat of the season when he was beaten 5-3 by Joe Swail in the second round.

Report by Stephen Hollis