Ian McCulloch stunned new tournament favourite Matthew Stevens by opening up a four-frame lead in the opening session of their Embassy World Championship semi-final at the Crucible Theatre.
McCulloch compiled four half centuries and two hundred-plus breaks in the best-of-33-frame showdown against a below-par Stevens who made too many errors.
The Preston potter had already shown his mettle in triumphing in last-frame deciders with 2004 runner-up Graeme Dott and two-times world champion Mark Williams.
He had secured his place in snooker's elite top 16 for the first time as a result of his quarter-final success over Alan McManus.
McCulloch was into his stride from the start and capitalised after Stevens had missed a yellow - when playing left-handed - with a decisive run of 61 to take the opening frame.
In the next McCulloch punished Stevens for a poor break-off shot with a 53, and missing a regulation black off its spot did not prove costly as he doubled his lead to 2-0.
Stevens, struggling to find any rhythm, quickly found himself trailing further after under-hitting a blue to allow McCulloch in for another half century.
McCulloch then completed a pre-interval whitewash, snicking a thin red into the middle pocket on his way to a 127 clearance.
Stevens broke his duck after a tense 37-minute fifth frame encounter by clearing from green to pink, but McCulloch ensured that he would have an overnight lead with a 122 clearance in frame six after Stevens missed a red into the middle.
A run of 56 from Stevens cut his deficit to 5-2 but McCulloch re-asserted his authority with an 83 break in the final frame after sinking a superb long red.
In the other semi-final, Peter Ebdon quickened the pace after his controversial go-slow against Ronnie O'Sullivan to seize control against outsider Shaun Murphy and open up a 6-2 lead.
The eight frames only spanned two hours, 14 minutes with Ebdon clocking up five 50-plus breaks.
The 2002 champion drew first blood today with runs of 47 and 30 in the first frame.
Murphy should have been the fresher of the two players after beating six-times world champion Steve Davis with almost a session to spare on Wednesday.
But it was the first time that the 22-year-old player had tasted the one-table environment at The Crucible.
He opened his account in frame two despite initially breaking down on 34 when attempting a slow red and a 43 clearance brought him back on level terms.
The Rotherham-based player failed to convert a red when bridging over another ball in the third and Ebdon's 78 to the blue edged him back in front.
Ebdon unsurprisingly looked full of confidence after his win over O'Sullivan and went into the mid-session holding a two-frame lead after an opening 70 in the next left Murphy requiring snookers.
A run of 77 enabled Murphy to halve his deficit after the restart and he was first amongst the balls in frame six.
But he missed a red hanging over the black pocket and Ebdon's 52 proved decisive and then he stretched his advantage to three frames with a 69.
Murphy led 40-6 in the final frame but Ebdon looked on top of his game and a 93 clearance polished off proceedings.
