Englishman Oliver Lines produced a battling display to beat China's Lei Peifan 4-3 and secure his place in the final stages of the Unibet British Open.
World number 108 Lines remained on tour by the skin of his teeth at the end of last season, retaining his place thanks to his performance in the one year list. The two-time ranking event quarter-finalist started well today, with breaks of 116 and 94 on his way to establishing a 2-1 lead.
However, Lei hit back to hit the front himself at 3-2. Lines held his nerve and claimed the last two and emerge a deciding frame victor.
David Gilbert continued a strong start to his season with a 4-0 win over Dylan Emery. Tamworth's Gilbert made the semi-finals of last season's World Championship and he has continued where he left off, having already been on a run to the final group of the Championship League and qualified for the Xi'an Grand Prix. He crafted runs of 85 and 72 in today's win.
There were two Chinese victories against Scottish counterparts. Lyu Haotian was a 4-0 winner against Anthony McGill, while Tian Pengfei defeated Scott Donaldson 4-2.