Mark Williams won all eight frames of an extraordinary first session of his Johnstone's Paint Tour Championship semi-final against Mark Allen.
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Williams needs just two more frames when they resume at 7pm on Saturday night to set up a final with Ronnie O'Sullivan. If those two members of the Class of '92 meet on Sunday, it will be their first ranking event final clash since the 2000 China Open.
Allen has won three titles this season and the world number three has shown a high level of consistency throughout the past two years, but so far today he has been dominated by his 49-year-old opponent. Welshman Williams beat Judd Trump 10-4 in the previous round and is on course for another resounding victory.
Success tonight would put Williams into a 41st ranking event final, having won 25 of his previous 40. Having captured the Cazoo British Open in September, he is looking to win multiple ranking titles in the same season for the first time since 2017/18.
Williams took the opening frame with a break of 57, then came from 50-23 down to snatch the second with a 46 clearance. Playing some of his best snooker of recent seasons, he fired breaks of 99 and 105 for 4-0. In frame five, Williams was on course for a 147 until he missed a difficult 15th red to a baulk corner on 112.
Northern Ireland's Allen might have stolen frame six from 66-0 down, but on 51 he missed a tricky cut-back on the final blue to a baulk pocket, allowing his opponent to go further ahead. Williams then controlled the seventh with 31 and 49 for 7-0.
Allen had chances in the last frame of the afternoon but couldn't capitalise and it came down to a tactical exchange on the blue. A weak safety from the Antrim cueman left the blue close to a baulk corner and Williams knocked it in to complete the session whitewash.
