Judd Trump defeated Si Jiahui 5-2 to set up a mouthwatering quarter-final meeting with Mark Selby at the Shenzhen Open.
The Englishman reeled off breaks of 80, 71, 53 and 54, though his route to victory over China’s Si was almost derailed by a bizarre glitch with the LED advertising screen behind the table.
Having watched Si miss the yellow in the seventh frame, world number two Trump showed his frustration as the screen flashed blue in his line of sight as he potted the same ball into the top-right pocket.
However, he was able to regain his composure and clear the remaining colours to seal the win.
“At this stage there’s always a crucial ball or crucial frame,” said Trump.
“So far this season and maybe last season I have not been winning those. But that can change at any point – you have just got to keep putting yourself in those positions.”
Four-time world champion Selby, who won the China Open in August, compiled a top break of 99 in his 5-3 triumph over Stephen Maguire.
In the other last-16 matches, world champion Wu Yize beat Ricky Walden by the same score and will next face Shaun Murphy in a repeat of their Crucible final in May.
Murphy dominated his encounter with Elliot Slessor to record a 5-1 win, while Yuan Sijun swept Zak Surety aside 5-2 and Jimmy Robertson thrashed Scott Donaldson 5-0.
Neil Robertson fell to a 5-2 loss to Chris Wakelin and Kyren Wilson also exited with a 5-2 defeat by Michael Holt, who knocked in a superb break of 126 on his way to reaching his first quarter-final in a ranking event since the UK Championship in 2024.