PAUL Hogan is through to the last 32 of the Coral UK Open after an excellent 9-5 victory over Benito van de Pas earlier this evening.

The Basingstoke darts ace won four matches over the course of the day to qualify for the fourth round, beating Lee Russell 5-1 in a preliminary round match, before overcoming Derek Brand and Darren Johnson 5-3 to reach round three.

The draw for the last 64 threw up a repeat of a match at the same stage of the tournament last year, with Hogan drawn against young Dutchman van de Pas.

The Buckskin man won last year's meeting 9-3 before being beaten by former world champion Mark Webster in the next round.

This year, he raced into a 6-1 lead. van de Pas won three legs in a row to reduce the deficit to two, but Hogan held his nerve, securing a 9-5 victory by hitting double top.

Speaking to ITV after his match, Hogan, who is nicknamed Crocodile Dundee, said: "I felt good and happy with the way I've been playing, so I'm enjoying it.

"I played the same player at the same stage of the event last year and I beat him again, so I'm very happy with that. 

"I'll just take it one game at a time. Who knows how far I'll get? I'll just try to do the best I can."

The UK Open, held at Butlins in Minehead, in Somerset, is known as the FA Cup of darts. It is one of a handful of tournaments to feature players from both the British Darts Organisation and Professional Darts Corporation, with amateur players getting the chance to qualify from tournaments across the country.

Hogan reached the final stages by winning a regional qualifier in Southampton last weekend and will play his last 32 match tomorrow afternoon. The draw will take place later tonight.

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