Gary Wilson's habit of winning matches when he is not at his best proved crucial again as he came from 8-7 down to beat Zhang Anda 10-8 in the quarter-finals of the Johnstone's Paint Tour Championship.
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Wilson is enjoying the best season of his career, having won ranking titles at the BetVictor Scottish Open and BetVictor Welsh Open. The Wallsend cueman is competing in this event for the first time, and having knocked out Mark Selby and now Zhang - both by a 10-8 scoreline - he is now guaranteed £40,000 as well as a top ten ranking going into the Cazoo World Championship.
On Friday at Manchester Central he takes on world number one Ronnie O'Sullivan, a player he beat en route to winning the 2022 Scottish Open crown.
Wilson, age 38, has been uncomfortable with his technique over the years, and still contends that he is playing poorly. Yet he has found ways of winning when not at his best, and is reaping the rewards.
"I showed grit and determination and tried my best, those are the only positives I can take," said Wilson. "Even in the tournaments I won this season, there were spells where my game was in the bin. I guess that helps me because I always make sure I show that grit. If you keep trying then you might get through a few matches, and then somehow miraculously you find something in your game. If you let your guard down and play at 99% instead of 100% and make a mistake on one shot, that can cost you a match. This is a game of very small margins. But I know I have to improve because those kind of performances are not good enough."
Looking ahead to the clash with O'Sullivan, he added: "I'm not someone who crumbles because of who I am playing. For me, it's all about how I am feeling and playing. If my action is gone then my confidence is on the floor and I can't find any way of hitting it. If that happens then it doesn't matter who I'm playing. I am trying to iron that out, it's not really working. But I am in the semis so let's see what happens."
After sharing the first two frames of the concluding session, Wilson took the next two with a top break of 74 to lead 7-5, before China's Zhang recovered to 7-7. In frame 15, Wilson led 61-9 but a missed red proved costly as Zhang made an excellent 55 clearance which included a double on the last red to a centre pocket.
Wilson hit back with breaks 94 and 85 to edge 9-8 ahead. Zhang had first chance in frame 18 but missed a red to a top corner at 34-0, and Wilson replied with 50 before running out of position. The Englishman then got the better of a safety battle on the last red, converting a thin cut to a top corner. He missed match-ball black, but Zhang played a weak safety on the yellow and that proved his last shot.
Meanwhile, Mark Williams is on track to upset Judd Trump as he leads 5-3 after their opening session. They resume at 7pm on Thursday night and first to ten frames will meet Mark Allen or Ding Junhui in the semi-finals on Saturday.
The opening frame came down to the pink, and Trump's attempted long pot not only missed its target but the cue ball went in-off, handing Williams a 1-0 lead. The Welshman then doubled his advantage with a break of 85. Frame three also came down to the pink and this time Trump led by 15 points, but failed to make contact with the pink when playing safe, and again his opponent punished him to go 3-0 up.
Trump pulled one back, before Williams took frame five on the colours, converting a mid-range yellow and clearing for 4-1. A break of 81, his highest of the session, helped Trump recover to 4-3, but Williams took the last of the afternoon with a 71.