Ronnie O'Sullivan came from behind to claim a 6-3 quarter-final win over Ding Junhui in the Ladbrokes Players Championship in Llandudno.
O'Sullivan, who beat Graeme Dott 6-1 in the first round, trailed 2-0, but three century breaks earned the five-time world champion a place in the semi-finals.
Ding, a 6-2 victor over Mark Allen in the first round, won just one more frame - with a terrific break of 119 - as O'Sullivan surged to victory.
O'Sullivan made a break of 134 in the third frame, 100 in the eighth and 121 in the ninth in dispatching with Ding.
He will play the winner of the contest between Neil Robertson and Judd Trump, who meet on Thursday. The semi-final takes place on Friday, with the final on Sunday.
O'Sullivan is the odds-on favourite at 10/11 with Sky Bet to win the tournament.
"I’m pleased with how I changed the way I was playing after going 2-0 down," said O’Sullivan in quotes on worldsnooker.com.
"I decided to play aggressively, as if I was playing against a load of numpties in an exhibition, going for my shots and not caring if I missed. When I play my best, that’s how I’m thinking, playing the first shot that I see. That’s what helped me tonight. I wanted Ding to play well too because that spurs me on and makes it a great match.
"I’ll treat my next match like an exhibition as well, I’ll go out there and smash a few balls around and see what happens. If I lose I’ll still have fun. The key for me is to find ways to enjoy it, motivate myself and find that spark."
Earlier, Trump beat Stephen Maguire 6-4 and Anthony McGill thrashed John Higgins 6-0 in first-round matches.
An opening frame break of 128 helped Trump make a fast start to his contest with Maguire, who responded with a break of 129 in the third frame and also won the fifth and sixth frames to level the contest at 3-3.
Maguire took the lead in a close seventh, but Trump won three straight frames to advance, a break of 76 in the 10th frame securing victory.
Higgins struggled against McGill, whose best break was 64 made in the opening frame. His next best was 61 in the sixth frame, which ended the match.
Wednesday March 21
Afternoon Session
TV Coverage: ITV4
First Round (Best of 11 frames)
- Judd Trump (4) 6-4 Stephen Maguire (13)
- John Higgins (3) 0-6 Anthony McGill (14)
Evening Session
TV Coverage: ITV4
Quarter-Finals (Best of 11 frames)
- Ronnie O'Sullivan (1) 6-3 Ding Junhui (8)
