World number 11 Mark Allen was a high-profile early casualty in the German Masters after crashing out to fellow Northern Irishman Joe Swail.
Allen's impressive form this season included a run to the semi-finals at the recent Ladbrokes Mobile Masters which included wins over Ronnie O'Sullivan and Neil Robertson.
But Swail has also shown signs of getting back to his best and missed the final red of a 147 attempt in his 5-0 final qualifying round win over Belgium's Hans Blanckaert in Berlin.
He completed a 5-3 win against his compatriot, taking the eighth frame after Allen tried in vain to get the one snooker he required to keep himself in the match.
Mark Selby comfortably progressed to the last 16 with a 5-1 win over Snooker Shoot-Out champion and fellow English cueman Nigel Bond, while Scotland's Graeme Dott beat Thai teenager Thanawat Thirapongpaiboon by the same scoreline.
Former world champion Peter Ebdon completed a typically attritional win over Andrew Higginson.
The four frames prior to the interval were shared in over two hours before Ebdon returned to wrap up a 5-3 success.
In the morning session, Stephen Hendry saw off Judd Trump 5-2 and hailed the result as an important win.
The seven-time world champion's top-16 place is under threat and he said: ‘It was a big game for both of us and I think that showed. I need wins so every match is important but I'm also playing for my own pride too.’
Also through is Masters champion Ding Junhui, who enjoyed a 5-1 win over Matthew Stevens having led 3-0.
‘I played okay today - it's a new experience out there, there's a lot happening at once so you need to keep your concentration, but I'm happy overall,’ said the Chinese player.
‘I didn't sleep well last night so hopefully I will get a good night's rest now and be ready for tomorrow.’
The three remaining wild-card matches were also decided this morning, with Snooker Shoot-Out finalist Robert Milkins beating Germany's Lasse Munstermann 5-1, Daniel Wells a 5-2 winner against China's Liu Song and Anthony McGill granted a walkover win after the withdrawal of Mario Wehrmann.
