Stephen Lee, winner of two of last season's nine world ranking titles and the Snooker Writers' Player of the Year award, disposed of Mark Williams 6-0 yesterday in their quarter-final of the Regal Scottish Masters in Glasgow.

Breaks of 70, 122, 73 and three more over 40 saw Lee through to play the holder, John Higgins, in this afternoon's semi-final.

From the outset of his 10-year professional career, it was obvious Lee had a top-class technique but he said yesterday: "It wasn't until last season that I started believing in myself." Now, if world rankings were based solely on last season's results, rather than the last two, Lee would be No1.

Williams, who turned professional at the same time as him in a vintage crop which also included Higgins and Ronnie O'Sullivan, has never lacked such belief and won 12 world ranking titles en route to becoming world No1 at the end of the season before last.

However, apart from winning the China Open and Thailand Masters back to back, the Welsh left-hander's 2001-2 season was disappointing. He was desperately out of sorts yesterday, potting only 29 balls all afternoon and being out-pointed 514-99.