Kyren Wilson rose to the occasion to reel off back-to-back centuries and seal a 13-11 victory over Barry Hawkins in a record-breaking World Championship showdown.
Breaks of 125 and 132 in the last two frames saw Wilson erase an overnight deficit of 9-7 as he took the total of tons in the match to nine – a new mark for a best-of-25 match in Sheffield.
Wilson's break in the penultimate frame saw him edge in front for the first time in a match in which he had trailed 6-1, after Hawkins scored four centuries of his own in the first session.
Wilson said: "Towards the end I reeled off the games very comfortably. I've worked really hard for this event and that's the time you rely on it and it comes out."
Wilson, a semi-finalist last year, suggested an incident in the penultimate session when an outrageous kick cost him a frame and saw him slip 9-5 behind, might have worked in his favour.
"Sometimes it gives you a bit of fire and adrenaline and if you carry that with you you can achieve great things," added Wilson, who now goes on to a last eight clash with 16th seed David Gilbert.
Hawkins, a six-times Crucible quarter-finalist, said he was planning to "go mental for a bit" after suffering a defeat which he said summed up his topsy-turvy season.
Staggering performance from @KyrenWilson! Back-to-back centuries seal his place in the quarter finals of the @Betfred World Championship, beating Barry Hawkins 13-11 👏 The Warrior battled back from 6-1 and 9-5 down! 🤯 #ilovesnooker @Betfred pic.twitter.com/D6RMfXbCTp — World Snooker (@WorldSnooker) April 29, 2019
"The way I started felt great then last night it cost me," said Hawkins. "I'm glad it's over now. I'm going to put my cue away, belatedly celebrate my 40th birthday, and go mental for a bit."
Ali Carter drew on his renowned fighting spirit to reel off six successive frames and turn a 9-7 overnight deficit into a 13-9 victory over fellow qualifier Zhou Yuelong.
The two-time finalist, who has twice beaten cancer and also suffers from Crohn's Disease, will next face another qualifier, Gary Wilson, in his sixth career appearance in the last eight.
Don't quit when you're down.#MondayMotivation #ilovesnooker @Betfred pic.twitter.com/cqJtEjBFcF — World Snooker (@WorldSnooker) April 29, 2019
Consecutive breaks of 72 helped Carter nudge in front and, with Zhou appearing to wilt under the pressure, the Essex player kept his focus in a scrappy session to get over the line.
Carter said: "I feel like I've swum the channel to get through that match. It's just the fight I've got in me, and if I didn't have it maybe I wouldn't be here today.
"I feel like maybe I deserve to be world champion. I've lost twice in the final to Ronnie (O'Sullivan). I'm not really bothered about the other tournaments any more – this is the only one that matters."
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