Judd Trump preserved his four-frame cushion over Marco Fu as their Betfair World Championship second-round clash resumed.
The runner-up at the Crucible in 2011 resumed on Saturday morning with a 6-2 lead, after firing three centuries yesterday, and evenly split the opening four frames with Fu to make it 8-4 at the interval.
After a long tactical battle in the opening frame, caused by the reds bunching in a corner, Fu fired in a red but could not take advantage and Trump was soon back in to build a lead.
But when he left a red for Fu, the man from Hong Kong made a tidy 44 to leave Trump requiring snookers.
When Fu slotted in the brown, the frame was his.
Trump restored his overnight advantage with a break of 94, before Fu countered with a run of 83.
Fu had a chance to trim the deficit to two frames but missed an easy yellow when 7-5 was looking likely, and when he also failed to sink the green Trump inflicted the appropriate punishment, clearing to the pink.
The 35-year-old qualifier could ill afford to miss such routine balls against the world number three.
Thirteen frames was the target for a place in the quarter-finals, where Shaun Murphy was awaiting the winner. Trump and Fu play to a finish tonight.
