Stephen Hendry acknowledged that his concentration was at times in tatters after emerging with a precarious 5-4 win over his fellow Scot Jamie Burnett in the opening round of the Totesport Grand Prix at Preston Guild Hall.

"It's always been my weakness that my concentration tends to go when I get into scrappy frames," admitted the seven-times world champion, who opened with an 84 break but went in-off in potting the black to lose the second.

Burnett, the world No49, went on to lead 4-3 and was poised for victory in the next frame after daringly rolling the last red down a side cush ion at an awkward angle. But a tricky black eluded him and Hendry managed to pot the colours he needed for 4-4.

The score, 121-0, implies that Hendry romped through the final frame but in fact, when he missed a red to a middle pocket on 65-0 he "thought Jamie might clear up because he was looking the stronger player in the last few frames". However, the moment passed.

Ronnie O'Sullivan, the world champion and world No1, scarcely missed a pot in beating Mark Davis 5-2 but Graeme Dott, the surprise runner-up at The Crucible last spring, emerged a 5-4 winner over the Welsh prospect Ryan Day only through keeping a cooler head in their edgy deciding frame. Dott may be a non-starter for his next match tomorrow if his wife goes into labour with their first child.

The chief surprise and the outstanding performance of the weekend came from Andy Hicks, the world No51, who trounced the UK champion Matthew Stevens 5-1, making breaks of 106, 129, 80 and 70.

Some of the circuit's old favourites struggled for form. James Wattana had to forfeit the fourth frame with a dozen reds still remaining for three consecutive misses from an unsnookered position but still beat John Parrott 5-2.

Alan McManus and Fergal O'Brien burnt the midnight oil on Saturday before McManus prevailed 5-4 on the final black of a 64-minute deciding frame.