The 2017 World Championships have already been full of twists and turns but arguably the match of the tournament thus far was played out between Ding Junhui and Liang Wenbo.
The Crucible crowd witnessed 22 breaks over 50 in a contest that utilised all 25 frames.
Wenbo falls just short after losing final two frames
Leading 9-7 overnight, Ding looked to be well on his way to secure a place in the last eight.
Yet a resilient Wenbo, who is good friends with Ding, took control in the third and final session. Breaks of 58, 98 and 61 gave the World number thirteen the lead for the first time in the contest.
The pair then exchanged the next four frames as the high scoring continued. Wenbo made breaks of 85 and 50, whilst Ding finally got his game together to make 80.
With Wenbo just one frame away from victory at 12-11, the pressure was really on Ding but he did not wilt as he made an excellent 132 to take the match into a decider. The World number four then held his nerve with a break of 70 to reach the quarter-finals for the fifth time.
"I've not practised all year"
Ding's last eight opponent will be five-time World Champion Ronnie O'Sullivan in a mouth-watering contest. Their mercurial talent had stumbled through the second session with Shaun Murphy after setting the Crucible alight in the first but soon found his range again.
The Rocket ensured a quick end to the session, winning three of the four frames with high breaks in all of them.
Contributions of 67, 52, 111 and 55 secured his passage as Murphy could only muster a break of 55 in a resounding 13-7 defeat. Afterwards, O'Sullivan claimed he "had not practised all year apart from six or seven weeks in the build up to this one."
Maguire holds early advantage
Meanwhile, two qualifiers met in the shape of Stephen Maguire and Rory McLeod. Maguire is recognised by many on the tour as a player that could easily be part of the top sixteen and he showed his class against outsider McLeod.
The Scotsman won the opening five frames with breaks of 67 and 71 on the way. McLeod hit back with two of his own to register on the scoresheet, making 73 in the process, before a 63 from Maguire in the final frame of the session ensured he held a 6-2 overnight advantage.