After Ronnie O'Sullivan made light work of He Guiqiang, his long-time rival John Higgins awaits in the next round.
O'Sullivan went into the afternoon session with a comfortable 7-2 lead, but struggled to get going in the first frame of the day. Despite several missed chances from O'Sullivan, He could only convert them into 19 points before a failed safety. "The Rocket" gratefully accepted the gift and took the frame with a break of 62.
Match Centre: O'Sullivan v He
O'Sullivan wraps up match with back-to-back centuries
With that, O'Sullivan found his rhythm: in the eleventh frame, the record world champion was even on course for a maximum for a long time, but after nine reds and eight blacks, he had to switch to blue. It made no difference to the outcome, as a 113 break sealed the frame for 9-2.
He looked out of steam, and the Chinese player had a few chances in the final frame but could only manage a single point. O'Sullivan fittingly finished the match with his second consecutive century break (100).
O'Sullivan ahead of Higgins clash: "I'm probably more of the underdog"
"A battle of the old guard," O'Sullivan said to the BBC when asked about his last-16 tie with Higgins. "I just said that I feel a bit old here at the venue now, because everyone else is 22 or 23 – it's like walking into a nursery. But we're still here, giving it a go. I'm not the player I once was, and probably never will be again, but as long as I'm enjoying the game... I'm starting to enjoy it again. I'm striking the ball better, but it's still not quite enough to win these tournaments – I need a bit of luck as well," said the ever self-critical O'Sullivan modestly.
The record world champion dismissed any talk of being the favourite against Higgins. "John likes playing against me. I think he plays better against me than I do against him. In a way, I'm probably more of the underdog, because I've barely played in the last three years compared to John. He's probably the favourite." The eagerly awaited match gets underway on Saturday evening, played as a best of 25 over three sessions.
Si Jiahui loses his way after early lead
On the other table, Si Jiahui and Hossein Vafei played out their first session. The seeded Chinese player made the better start, immediately firing in a century break of exactly 100 points. Si also took the second frame after some smaller breaks.
Match Centre: Si v Vafei
Vafei got on the scoreboard in the third frame, closing the gap to 1-2 with a 65 break. He couldn't level before the interval, though – Si didn't take his first chance, as in the second frame, but Vafei never really had an opportunity.
After the mid-session interval, the momentum shifted completely. Si made a string of errors, struggling with both safety play and long pots. Vafei took frame after frame, turning a 1-3 deficit into a 6-3 lead, with breaks of 81, 61, 60 and 110 along the way. Si failed to score a single point in the last three frames. The decider between the two will take place tomorrow.