Defending champion Stephen Maguire wasted little time in progressing to the last 16 stage of the Northern Ireland Trophy.
The world number two thumped Nottingham qualifier Michael Holt 5-1 in their second-round meeting at Belfast's Waterfront Hall and outlined his plans to become the first professional for three and a half years to make a successful defence of a ranking title.
World champion Ronnie O'Sullivan is the last player to have achieved the feat, having won the Welsh Open in 2004 and 2005.
'I was scared of my first match, that's the first time I've felt pressure since the World Championship,' admitted the Glaswegian.
'It was always going to be a tough match playing Michael, but I didn't expect to win 5-1.
'Although it was 5-1 there were three frames decided on the black ball, so winning them was massive.
'It was looking like 2-2, but I went 3-1 and never really looked back. Now I've got a match under my belt I'll hopefully relax.
'I've not had the heart going like that for a while. You never forget it, but when it comes back it's quite scary, you realise you're under some pressure.
'I'd love to retain my title here this year, I've got so many fond memories of winning here last year.'
Maguire compiled breaks of 55, 96, 58, 40 and 127 to go through - and will now play either fellow Scot Alan McManus or Romford's Mark King in the next phase.
Shaun Murphy suffered a shock 5-2 defeat at the hands of Mark Williams, the two-time world champion who has slipped down the rankings in the past few seasons.
The Rotherham professional, a world champion in 2005, mustered a high break of just 37 as Williams progressed having pocketed breaks of 50, 85, 50, 48 and 44. The Welshman will play either Irishman Mark Allen, a runner-up at last season's tournament, or compatriot Dominic Dale.
Preston's Ian McCulloch booked his last 16 place with a 5-2 win over Australian Neil Robertson, while Stoke professional Dave Harold fought back from 3-1 down to beat Graeme Dott, the 2006 world champion, 5-3.
