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By Phil Harlow
BBC Sport at The Crucible
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Lee made three century breaks in the match
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Stephen Lee kept Tony Drago at arm's length as he secured a comfortable 10-5 first-round victory. Lee had a 6-3 lead from the first session and looked to be strolling into the second round after winning the seventh and eighth frames.
Drago made a fight of it though, and breaks of 43 and 59 gave him the next two and narrowed Lee's lead to 8-5.
But Lee stopped Drago's attempted comeback in its tracks as he knocked in a 108 and a 51 to clinch the game.
The ninth seed said his assured display had given him renewed confidence in his own ability.
"I'm hitting the ball well and scoring well," said Lee.
"I'm feeling good and it's always nice to get a few tons. I knew if I got a clear-cut chance I'd score and I haven't felt like that for a while.
"I thought it might be a quicker game but we had a few stalemate safety battles which dragged us both down."
S LEE (Eng) 10-5 T DRAGO (Mlt)
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MMIX
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