Scott Mackenzie completed a 9-0 whitewash of hapless Michael Holt in the Maplin UK Championship and revealed he had smelled blood as early as the fifth frame.
The 26-year-old from Renfrewshire set up a second-round meeting with world champion Graeme Dott by potting his fiery opponent into submission in their best-of-17 clash at the Barbican Centre in York.
After surging 3-0 ahead with breaks of 65 and 109, Mackenzie watched Holt - whom he knew had a reputation for 'losing the plot' - self-destruct and hand him the next two frames on a plate.
The 28-year-old, who was docked a frame for swearing at last year's event, smashed open the pack in the final frame of the session and Mackenzie took no time to complete the whitewash.
In arguably the highest-quality match of the day, 2002 world champion Peter Ebdon had to be at his stunning best to see off Mark Selby.
Ebdon reeled off an incredible four centuries and three more over 50 in winning 9-6, after going into the evening session 4-4.
Selby, who had already thrashed one former world champion, John Parrott, in the previous round, contributed to the exhibition with one century and four 50-plus knocks.
Not even a 146 break - one short of a maximum - could save David Gray against Matthew Stevens, who rattled in two centuries and five more breaks above 50 to progress.
The final match of the evening ended in real controversy as Ali Carter lost 9-8 to Stuart Bingham after having a frame docked by the referee.
Carter was deemed to have arrived back late from this evening's mid-session interval, when the scores were finely balanced at 6-6.
The decision, taken by an official refereeing in the final stages of a major championship for the first time, proved crucial.
A philosophical Carter said: 'It's my job to be out there on time and I wasn't. I didn't think I was late. If I knew I was (I would not have been).'
