Judd Trump recovered from a sloppy start to run out a convincing 6-2 winner against Chris Wakelin to kick off the Players Championship.
Wakelin began the match with a 120 break but that proved a misleading introduction as both players struggled during the first mini-session, which ended 2-2.
After the interval though it was one-way traffic as Trump first edged the fifth frame and then dominated the following three, signing off with a break of 139 to make it 13 wins from as many meetings with Wakelin.
He'll need to improve to win this title for a third time in eight years but will expect to do so when he faces either Ali Carter or Tom Ford in the semi-finals later this week.
"It was just a little bit scrappy, on edge the first four frames, just trying to stay in it, then I think the frame to go 3-2 kind of turned the matched after that," said Trump. "I felt a lot more confident and got some momentum then.
"If I can get a lead then I feel a lot more comfortable, and that's what happened.
"After that I never really looked back, I felt a lot more comfortable, I was playing quicker, balls were opening a lot better, and just more free-flowing, how I've played all season."
Asked whether his record against Wakelin was on his mind, Trump confessed that it had only dawned on him when returning from the interval.
"I think that helped me, I didn't then believe I was going to lose after I remembered that. If you can just remember that kind of thing it definitely helps."
Trump also told ITV that he'd been adopting a light practise schedule ahead of the event having skipped the Welsh Open, but that it was with a busy end of the season in mind.
"No more holidays now!" he joked. "Time to knuckle down, there's some big events, I feel fully rested. I feel like I needed that coming up to the World Championship.
"Before, a few seasons, I've gone in burnt out. This season I feel refreshed and raring to go."
On the adjacent table, John Higgins beat Ding Junhui 6-4.
Higgins told WST: "I’ve had some nice memories in Telford and some sad too. I can remember beating Mark Williams to win the UK Championship and also losing to Ding. I’m still very proud that I am playing with the top boys and competing with them all.
"My game is getting better. At the start of the year there were a few things going wrong and I was fighting my technique. I think I seem to be on top of a good bit of it."
