Scott Donaldson: There was no Mark Selby hangover in Li Hang loss

Scott Donaldson, right, was defeated by Li Hang in York. Pic: PA

The Capital-based potter stunned defending champion and world No.1 Selby in the second round with a 6-2 win and was hoping to keep that running going against Li Hang, but the 23-year-old struggled to reproduce any of that inspired form against the Chinese throughout his battle at the Barbican, eventually losing 6-1.

“Not a chance, it wasn’t in my mind,” Donaldson revealed when asked if he was still basking in the glory of defeating Selby. “I’ve lost to a very good player and that’s all there is to it.

“I didn’t get going. He played really well. I cannot say I played terribly. It was a good standard of snooker out there.

“It got to 4-1 and I was thinking that I’ve barely had a chance. Maybe my safety shots weren’t as good as they had been bit he played really well and good luck to him.”

The Chinese cueman opened the contest with a break of 134, the fifth highest in the competition, and that set the tone for an excellent performance.

Donaldson came into the tournament having lost every ranking match he’d played this season, so will take plenty of positives from his exploits in York.

The Locarno Club player will now refocus his efforts on the Scottish Open later this month and believes he’s turned a corner at the Betway UK Championships.

He said: “I know my game is there. I don’t think I’ve played badly so we’ll have to keep it going.

“I cannot wait for the Scottish Open. It’s going to be great and I think all the Scottish boys are looking forward to it.

“It’s a great venue. It was used for the Commonwealth Games and it looks like it’s going to be a good competition.”

• Watch LIVE coverage of the UK Championship on Eurosport and Eurosport Player with Colin Murray and analysis from Jimmy White and Neal Foulds.