Ali Carter eased into a 6-3 lead in his final World Championship qualifier against John Astley.
Carter, a two-time World Championship runner-up, beat the veteran Jimmy White in the previous round and will resume on Wednesday in a strong position to reach the Crucible this year.
Matthew Stevens, another two-time World Championship finalist, is in danger of crashing out at the final stage of qualifying at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.
The Welshman trails China's Tian Pengfei 7-2, the same score by which 2006 world champion Graeme Dott leads Kurt Maflin.
Robert Milkins also has a 7-2 lead over Anthony McGill and Gary Wilson holds a narrow 5-4 advantage over Liang Wenbo.
Joe Perry leads fellow Englishman Martin O'Donnell 6-3 with James Cahill enjoying a similar advantage over Michael Judge.
