Ding Junhui has recorded a shock whitewash victory over Ronnie O'Sullivan in the quarter-finals of the UK Championship.
With Ding now at 38th in the world rankings, the three-time winner of this event had to negotiate two matches away from the television cameras in order to make the main stages in York.
However, the Chinese will now catapult himself back up the global standings after powering past an out-of-sorts O'Sullivan, who never found any rhythm, by a 6-0 scoreline.
The Englishman, a seven-time winner in his own right, almost stole the opening frame after several uncharacteristic misses as Ding also showed signs of nerves.
Nevertheless, once the 35-year-old has established a two-frame lead, there was no stopping him as he only allowed O'Sullivan a further four points.
As a result of O'Sullivan's exit, Mark Allen is the only remaining player who resides in the world's top 10.
Ding faces a last-four showdown with either Joe Perry or Tom Ford, who are ranked at 30th and 32nd respectively in the rankings.
Darren Plant
