Barry Hawkins repelled a spirited comeback by Matthew Selt to advance to the second round of the Betfred World Championship after a final-frame decider at the Crucible.
The opening four frames of Sunday’s first session had been shared but Hawkins was in devastating form after the mid-session interval, reeling off five frames on the trot to amass what had appeared to be a decisive 7-2 overnight lead.
Selt secured the first two frames when the action resumed in Sheffield this morning before Hawkins re-established his five-frame buffer with breaks of 79 and 88.
The match then underwent a monumental momentum shift after the mid-session interval. The Romford potter knocked in two centuries and won the next five frames of a high-quality affair to erode Hawkins’ lead and move level at 9-9.
However, Hawkins stopped the rot when it mattered most to win the final-frame shootout and move into the second round.
Hawkins said: "I can't keep putting myself through that. There's nothing worse than when someone is coming back at you like that and you can see your lead disappearing.
"You're telling yourself it's only one frame but you can see him growing in confidence and potting long balls so it is a horrible place to be."
Hawkins, who will play either Mark Allen or Ryan Day in the second round, is no stranger to Crucible drama having fended off a famous comeback from Dominic Dale in last year's quarter-finals.
And the 35-year-old believes his close call against Selt will help give him the impetus he needs after a largely frustrating season by his own standards.
Hawkins added: "It's not been the best season but it's partly my own fault because I had a bad attitude in the middle of the season and I wasn't enjoying it.
"I've played a lot of snooker over the last couple of years and I think I just got fed up with it and my attitude stunk, I suppose.
"But there's nothing like getting kicked up the backside a few times and getting beaten to get the motivation back."
Neil Robertson revealed a new practice repertoire which he hopes will lift him among the game's all-time greats after storming into the second round.
The 2010 champion rattled in an opening break of 133 as he reeled off the three frames required to turn a 7-2 lead into a 10-2 victory over Welshman Jamie Jones.
Robertson has committed more hours to the game than ever before and he believes it will help him finally fulfil his potential and become a multiple winner of the sport's biggest title.
"I have put in more hours for this tournament than any other in my whole career," the 33-year-old Australian said.
"Before I played my first-round match I potted 300 balls without missing - that's the stuff (Stephen) Hendry used to do. Hendry used to not miss for six or seven frames, and that's what you have to do if you want to dominate matches.
"If you were to stop my career and look back, I would definitely have a feeling of 'what if I had practised more?'. I think I could do more so I've left no stone unturned coming into this tournament.
"It would be harsh to say I have under-achieved, but I think I could have won a lot more if I'd sacrificed a little bit more."
Ding Junhui's dismal record at the Crucible looked set to continue as he lost the first four frames of his first-round match against veteran Mark Davis.
The world number three looked distinctly out of sorts in the early stages, but clawed his way back to reduce the deficit to 3-4 overnight.
World number 10 Stuart Bingham failed to find top form but still did enough to reach round two with a gruelling 10-7 victory over Wirral qualifier Robbie Williams.
Bingham quickly reversed a 5-4 overnight deficit to take control of the game and, after a series of messy frames, he finally got over the line.
Two-time finalist Ali Carter, given the all-clear from lung cancer in December, started his campaign by establishing a 6-3 lead over veteran Scot Alan McManus at the end of their first session.
