Mark Allen believes he is building towards his best form, and could be the player to challenge the dominance of Ronnie O'Sullivan and Judd Trump this season, as he beat Si Jiahui 4-1 to reach the last 16 of the BetVictor Welsh Open.
O'Sullivan and Trump have won four titles apiece this term but they are both absent from Llandudno this week. Allen is the only other player with more than one, having landed the Champion of Champions and BetVictor Shoot Out, and looks determined to add to that tally. The Northern Irishman compiled breaks of 63, 76, 110 and 52 in a fine display against Si.
"I played well, I only missed one ball," said Allen, who now meets Robbie Williams. "Si can scare you a bit because he looks like he fancies potting everything. You could see his confidence and he takes on some very aggressive shots, which is great to see because that's the way to beat the top players. He is very talented.
"I am still nowhere near my best but I am slowly growing into the tournament, I'm getting closer. Judd and Ronnie have played much better than me this season, but I do feel I'm the one closest on their heels."
Robert Milkins has clearly been inspired this week by memories of last year's title success and he thrashed David Gilbert 4-0 with top breaks of 77 and 91, setting up a tie with Gary Wilson.
John Higgins looked sharp in a 4-1 win over Ryan Day, with a high break of 124. Home favourite Mark Williams suffered a 4-1 reverse against Anthony McGill, while Matthew Selt made a 135 in a 4-1 win over Duane Jones.
Si is now out of the running to qualify for next week's Johnstone's Paint Players Championship, as is Neil Robertson whose recent resurgence was dented by a 4-2 reverse against Ricky Walden. From 2-0 down, Walden won four frames in a row with breaks of 96, 68, 69 and 65. The Merseysider later paid tribute to Dave Higginson, father of Andrew, who passed away this morning.
"Everyone is thinking of Andrew, we're all devastated, " said Walden. "Dave was a brilliant guy, I had known him a long time. It's a tough day for everyone."
Earlier in the last 64, Luca Brecel showed glimpses of the form which won him the world title last May as he raced to a 4-0 success against Joe O'Connor, knocking in breaks of 83, 119, 62 and 75.
Aaron Hill has beaten both Trump and O'Sullivan in previous seasons and he can now add Mark Selby to his list of scalps having seen off the four-time World Champion 4-2. "Mark is one of the greats and one of the players I look up to," said 21-year-old Irishman Hill, who reached his first ranking quarter-final at the Wuhan Open earlier this season. "I'm absolutely delighted. I thrive in that kind of atmosphere, I love been out there especially when I'm playing well. I know my game is good enough to be beating them."
Anthony Hamilton scored a 4-1 victory over Kyren Wilson while Jak Jones saw off Zhang Anda by the same scoreline. In a Welsh derby between experience and youth, veteran Dominic Dale came from 3-1 down to beat amateur Alfie Davies 4-3. Rookie Stan Moody top scored with 103 in an impressive 4-3 victory over Jordan Brown.