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Stephen Hendry survived a tricky opening match at the Grand Prix in Glasgow as he beat Dave Gilbert 5-4 in a nail-biting contest.

Hendry started strongly with breaks of 69 and 70 putting him 2-0 up, but Gilbert was level by the interval with a 123 break in the third frame - helping to build his confidence.

Hendry went back in front with a 98, yet again Gilbert fought back to level matters 3-3.

Hendry had to come back from 5-1 down to beat Gilbert in the World Championship last year, but it was Gilbert who kept fighting back in this contest.

Hendry edged a frame in front once more to go 4-3 up before Gilbert potted 11 reds and 11 blacks for a break of 88 that could have been a 147 with a bit more luck.

The final frame was a thriller - Hendry opened up with a break of 40, but by the time they were on the final red the score was 44-44.

Hendry got that red with a fantastic double and broke to the blue; Gilbert then played a poor safety on that blue which allowed Hendry to pot it and leave the Englishman requiring snookers.

Gilbert fought on gamely, but with just two balls on the table it was always going to be tough, and Hendry finally got the pink to clinch the match.

"I'm very relieved to get my first win of the season," admitted Hendry. "I've had a slow start to the season and, when you're not getting the wins, panic starts to set in a little bit.

"I was just thankful David gave me the chance in the last frame - he left me a pot on a blue ball over a corner pocket. I was delighted to get through."

Hendry added: "At times I felt really good. I made a couple of nice breaks, I potted some good long balls and made some good safety shots.

"But it's just the unforced errors which come when you're lacking confidence."

Gilbert was understandably disappointed to have squandered a golden chance of upsetting the seven-times world champion.

"I chucked it away, I should have won," he reflected.

"I started badly, but when I got back to 2-2 I really fancied my chances. I felt good out there but I played some slack shots and made too many errors.

"I want to be at the venues and I want to be beating the top players, but I've got to sharpen up.

"If my focus was a bit better and my safety was sharper, then I would have won that match."

Defending champion Marco Fu stormed into the second round as he came back from 2-0 down to beat Jimmy Michie 5-2.

Fu got better and better as the match went on and closed it out with breaks of 139, 77 and 94.

Michie will be disappointed to have lost the final frame though as he was 42-0 in front before leaving a red over the pocket which allowed Fu to get in and wrap up the match.

Steve Davis outlasted Neil Robertson 5-4 in a turgid four-hour contest that contained just two half-centuries - both from Robertson - in the entire match.

There was never more than a frame between the two players but the match was anything but thrilling with one frame having a spell of over 15 minutes without a single pot.

Robertson will look back on the fifth frame as one he really should have won as Davis came from behind to take it with a re-spotted black.

"That's a big scalp for me," said Davis.

"I was like granite out there, I had to be because neither of us played great."

Michael Holt moved into the last 16 too as he beat an out-of-sorts Mark Allen 5-1.

Allen dazzled in the opening frame when he replied to a 64 effort from Holt with a clearance of 73 but after that he could not get anything going and Holt won by capitalising on Allen's errors with a succession of mid-range breaks.

In the final match of the day, Ryan Day managed to hold off a determined Ricky Walden to win 5-4.

Walden - who beat Ronnie O'Sullivan to win the Shanghai Masters earlier in the year - was 3-1 down at the mid-session interval but forced a deciding frame, but could not complete the comeback against Day.

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Seán Fay / Eurosport