A superb break of 92 in the match-deciding frame saw Aaron Hill edge out Barry Hawkins 4-3 and seal his place in the last 16 of the Northern Ireland Open.
The 23-year-old held his nerve in the seventh and final frame and could face local favourite Mark Allen for a quarter-final spot.
Allen faces Ben Woollaston on Wednesday evening.
Hill can watch on with interest after continuing his fine form of 2025.
It was Hawkins that drew first blood at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast, with the 2013 World finalist opening with a break of 79.
The Corkman, who eased past Lei Peifan 4-1 in the previous round, soon found his groove.
Breaks of 66, 77 and 58 left him just one frame short of victory, but Hawkins refused to throw in the towel, edging the fifth frame before a break of 90 saw the 46-year-old take it to a decider, with the momentum very much on his side.
However, Hill pulled out his highest break of the match at the opportune moment to take victory.
Just look at what it means to Aaron Hill! 😁
— WST (@WeAreWST) October 21, 2025
The Breeze showed nerves of steel down the stretch to secure a HUGE win 🙌#NIOpen pic.twitter.com/QOlFMNghBv
Elsewhere, Stephen Maguire enjoyed a 4-1 victory over 2023 World champion Luca Brecel, Mark Davies recovered from losing the opening frame to record a 4-1 success over Zhang Anda, while Kyren Wilson and Ali Carter enjoyed last-frame deciding wins over Oliver Lines and Stan Moody respectively.
Si Jiahui whitewashed Cheung Ka Wai of Hong Kong, Judd Trump saw off Jackson Page while Ryan Day, Yuan Sijun and Tom Ford also progressed.
