Ken Doherty will take on local hero Ding Jun Hui in the semi finals of the China Open in Beijing after beating Paul Hunter 5-1.
Hunter potted only one ball in the last four frames and did not score a point in the last three as Doherty racked up 331 points without reply to complete a devastating victory.
It puts the genial Dubliner through to his first semi-final since he lost to Hunter in the Players Championship in Glasgow 12 months ago.
"I'm delighted to win because Paul is the first top-eight player I've beaten in a long time," Doherty said. "It's a sign that my form is coming back slowly. That was a vast improvement on my previous two matches."
Shortly after, local hero Jun Hui brought a crowd of more than 1,500 ecstatic supporters to their feet with another impressive victory. Ding celebrated his 18th birthday by beating Hong Kong's Marco Fu 5-2 at the Haidian Stadium in Beijing.
As the home favourite completed the 71 break which brought him victory and a place in the semi-finals the audience roared their approval with a standing ovation.
In the day's other quarters, Stephen Hendry beat Ricky Walden 5-0 to set up a showdown with Alan McManus, who beat Mark Williams 5-2.
