Welshman Mark Williams and England's Peter Ebdon cannot now qualify for the semi-finals of this week's Malta Cup after drawing their latest match.
The former world champions shared a 3-3 draw in their penultimate group matches at the Hilton Conference Centre in Portomaso.
But it is Chinese ace Ding Junhui and Welshman Dominic Dale who have set the pace in Group Four - and it is only they who can now qualify for the knockout stages.
Ding, already a three-time ranking event winner at just 20, defeated closest rival Dale 4-2 in their morning match.
Victory for the world number nine has left him just one point behind the group leader, but a draw or better in his final qualifying match against Mark Williams tomorrow night would secure his path to the next phase.
Dale has six points from four matches, while Ding has five points from just three matches.
'I'm just crossing my fingers Mark (Williams) can beat Ding tomorrow,' revealed Dale. 'It's out of my hands now, but hopefully Mark will do me a favour.'
Ding impressed with breaks of 69, 82 and 76 for a 3-0 cushion, before Dale's match high break of 39 reduced his arrears.
His opponent pinched the fifth frame 71-38 on points to maintain his unbeaten run thus far, before Dale won a scrappy sixth and final frame.
Meanwhile, last season's UK champion Ebdon raced into a 3-0 lead over Williams with breaks of 89, 59 and 79.
But the two-time Crucible champion rallied with breaks of 82, 66 and 66 to snatch a deserved draw as the match finished in just under an hour.
In this year's other groups world champion John Higgins knows victory over Cambridgeshire cueman Joe Perry tomorrow would leave him favourite to guarantee his semi-final place from Group One.
In Group Two former world champion Ken Doherty, last a Malta Cup winner in 2006, will qualify if he beats Australia's Neil Robertson in his last match.
However, Robertson - twice a ranking event winner last season - remains in the frame to qualify having won and drawn his first two matches. He must beat Belfast's Joe Swail today to stay in the frame.
Group Three sees Shaun Murphy, the defending champion, sitting top of the pile. Victory over 2005 Malta Cup champion Stephen Hendry in his last qualifying match tomorrow would secure progress to the last four.
