Shaun Murphy held his nerve in a gripping finish to knock world champion Mark Selby out of the Dafabet Masters.
The 2005 Crucible king needed just one further frame to secure a quarter-final place when he led 5-1, but Selby dashed off four in a row to force a decider and then had chances to complete a stunning fightback.
But a missed black proved critical as Selby presented his good friend with a match-winning chance that the 32-year-old gladly accepted to wrap up a 6-5 victory.
Selby toppled Murphy 6-1 in the semi-finals at Alexandra Palace last year, and began Sunday's tussle on the opening day at the north London venue in similarly impressive shape, rattling in a break of exactly 100 after being left a free ball in the opening frame.
Back came Murphy though, initially by winning a pair of scrappy frames but then with runs of 92, 55 and 56 that saw him almost to the point of victory.
Even then, Murphy would have been aware that Selby is a fearsome counter-attacker and he pulled out two frames in quick succession, making a 120 break in the process. Murphy might have tied up victory in the ninth frame when he led 44-12, but he missed a black that should have been tucked away and Selby fired in a merciless 54 before ploughing in 92 to level the match.
New father Selby, whose wife Vikki gave birth to their first child Sofia in November, has won three previous Masters titles, in 2008, 2010 and 2013, but this was not to be his day.
It became inevitably tense, both men missing rather straightforward balls with the match on the line, and when Selby could not sink a black he offered Murphy the big opportunity to put the previous four frames behind him.
The Sale-based potter suddenly looked sharp and a snappy break of 40 put him 51 points up with 35 left on, with Selby left to scratch around for a handful of snookers. They would not come for the 31-year-old Leicester cueman and Selby's race was run when Murphy knocked in the final red.
Meanwhile, Marco Fu lit up the Alexandra Palace with a sparkling 147.
The 37-year-old from Hong Kong fired in the third perfect break of his career as he beat Stuart Bingham.
Fu moved 3-1 ahead with his magnificent clearance and went on to triumph 6-3, setting up a possible shot at Ronnie O'Sullivan in the quarter-finals.
The only previous Masters maximums had been posted by Canadian Kirk Stevens, against Jimmy White in 1984, and China's Ding Junhui, in his match with Anthony Hamilton in 2007.
World number 10 Fu completed the overseas hat-trick, and there was scarcely a moment in the break when he looked troubled.
He celebrated with a fist pump, handshakes for referee Brendan Moore and Bingham, and a wave to the crowd, before walking off for the mid-match interval. Fu returned to fire in two more centuries, both more modest runs of 103, on his way to a classy victory.
Fu's previous maximums came against Ken Doherty at the Scottish Masters in 2000 and in World Open qualifying in January 2012, when Matt Selt was his opponent.
The latest feat will earn him a £10,000 reward unless it is matched during the tournament, which runs until next Sunday, in which case Fu will have to share the bounty.
Fu will tackle defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan on Thursday if the 39-year-old world number three sees off Ricky Walden on Tuesday.
