Zhou Yuelong staged a stunning 6-0 win over World Champion Kyren Wilson to make the last eight of the Shanghai Masters.
It was a rough start to Wilson's reign as Crucible king, in his first appearance competing at a straight knockout event since securing a maiden World Championship victory in May.
Zhou compiled breaks of 78, 59 and 83 during today's emphatic victory. He now faces 2005 World Champion Shaun Murphy in the quarter-finals. Afterwards he admitted that a change in mindset, prompted by his wife, has helped him with his game.
Zhou said: "I've taken a big step on personal level this summer. My wife has been very helpful and we have worked on being able to play my game with a different mindset. That has been a great help to my career. I used to hope for chances during competitions, but now I tend to think differently, which has allowed me to enjoy it more. I'm happy and it's not really about winning the match, but being able to do what I wanted to in the game."
Murphy sealed his progression with an impressive 6-3 win over John Higgins. The Magician fired in breaks of 62, 55, 56, 93, 83 and 64 during the tie. Defeat for Higgins means he will have to wait a little longer to reach 1000 centuries, he is currently stranded on 998.
Mark Selby produced a strong showing in his first appearance of the season, defeating Chinese amateur Cao Jin 6-1 to make the quarters.
Selby had cast doubts on his future as a professional after a disappointing showing at the World Championship, but after discussions with his wife he elected to continue this term.
Despite going a frame down this afternoon, the four-time Crucible king crafted breaks of 115, 76 and 65 on his way to six on the bounce and a place in the quarter-finals.
Speaking earlier this week, Selby explained his decision to carry on playing, he said: "I've had a couple of holidays and just switched off completely. I've come here to give it a go. I sat down with Vikki and she said she thought I should carry on playing as I have more to give to the game, but maybe to pick and choose and don't play in everything. I'm going to give that a go and see what happens."
Selby now faces Pang Junxu, who conquered world number one Mark Allen 6-5 in a thrilling encounter. The tie couldn't be completed in the afternoon session and was pulled off with Pang leading 5-4. When play resumed later in the evening, Allen showed his class with a break of 101 to force a decider. However, it was the steely Pang who took the last on the blue to progress.