Mark Selby hit the front in his Betfred World Championship semi-final against Ding Junhui after dominating the second session.
The defending champion is eyeing a repeat of last year's final outcome against Ding, and by retrieving a 5-3 overnight deficit to lead 9-7 he showed the form and application that could see him reach another Crucible title match.
Without being at his very best, Selby engineered a platform from which he can push for victory in the best-of-33-frame tussle.
He jolted Sheffield-based Ding by taking the four frames before the interval, setting a high benchmark in the morning's opener by making an ominous 100 break.
It then took graft from Selby to nose in front and fend off a rejuvenated Ding following the interval.
It was Ding who provided the session's highlight, a mesmerising 139 total clearance in the seventh frame. It followed a skilfully plotted 84 two frames earlier which showed his focus remained sharp.
China's hopes yet again rest on Ding, and the morning start in Sheffield meant the match was prime-time viewing in his homeland. But few in the Far East would have enjoyed the sight of Selby taking six of the eight frames before lunch.
The 33-year-old from Leicester accepts he cannot turn on the style all the time, even though his quarter-final annihilation of Marco Fu's title hopes showed Selby has plenty in reserve in case he becomes involved in a shoot-out of big breaks.
"You know in this tournament you're not going to be able to play well in every single session, it's more or less impossible," Selby said. "So you need to be able to scrap it out and I've shown in the past I can do that."
He and Ding return for another eight frames in the evening, with their semi-final scheduled to finish on Saturday afternoon.
The second semi-final, featuring John Higgins and Barry Hawkins, was resuming on Friday afternoon. Higgins carried a 5-3 lead overnight after an absorbing first session.
