World champion Zhao Xintong won a thrilling decider on the final black to edge out Kyren Wilson 6-5 and book his place in the Champion of Champions semi-finals in Leicester.
Zhao, who defeated Mark Williams in the Crucible final in May to become the first Chinese player to win the world title, recovered from 5-3 down to level with breaks of 136 and 64 before potting the final black to win the last frame.
Wilson, world champion in 2024, had compiled a run of 104, 62, 120 and 88 to forge into a 5-3 lead after being 3-1 down, but Zhao held his nerve in the decider.
Zhao had thrashed Mark Allen in their group semi-final earlier on Tuesday, while Wilson pipped in-form Jack Lisowski, sealing victory with a break of 122 in the decider to win 4-3.
Lisowski, who won his first ranking title at the Northern Ireland Open in Belfast at the end of last month, had fallen 3-0 behind as Wilson made scores of 88, 115 and 60, before fighting back to level it up with a clearance of 115.
Waiting to face Zhao in the semi-finals is world number one Judd Trump, who beat women's world champion Bai Yulu 4-1 and Scottish Open champion Lei Peifan 6-2 on Monday.
