Michael Holt reached the last 16 of the Victorian Plumbing UK Championship for the first time in 25 years, scoring an emphatic 6-1 win over Welsh Open champion Gary Wilson in York.
The Hitman's professional career came under threat in 2022, when he fell off the circuit. During two years away from the World Snooker Tour he set about a career coaching amateur players. However, Holt's performances on last season's Q Tour ensured the 46-year-old regained his professional status.
This week's run is a landmark for the Nottingham cueman, who last made it to this stage of the UK Championship back in 1999 as a 22-year-old. After beating the likes of Tony Drago and Alan McManus, he was eventually defeated 9-6 by John Higgins in the quarter-finals. Victory this evening for Holt earns him a last 16 meeting with this year's Crucible runner-up Jak Jones.
Defeat for Wallsend's Wilson marks a continuation of his struggles in the UK Championship. He's only made the last 16 on one occasion in his entire career, back in 2019.
The opener this evening went the way of Holt, who compiled a break of 38 to steal on the black. A run of 72 from Wilson restored parity at 1-1, before Holt won the third and fourth frames, again on the black, to snatch a 3-1 lead at the mid-session interval.
A run of 69 then moved Holt further ahead at 4-1. The sixth frame ventured into a stalemate situation when the reds gathered around the pink, which was over the top left corner. Holt was reluctant to accept a re-rack, leading 44-9, but eventually agreed to restart the frame. He steadied himself and fired in 95 to move 5-1 ahead and one from victory. A 50-minute seventh came down to the wire, but it was Holt who claimed it on the pink to ensure his progression.
Holt said: "It is brilliant, obviously. I rode my luck towards the end of that match but I'll take it and I'm in the next round. I always knew I could win, I never doubted that, but you are playing the best players in the world. You never know how games are going to pan out. You have to keep yourself in a good state of mind. 6-1 did flatter me, but I'm in the next round and I'm buzzing about it.
"My game is there, it really is. It has always been there. I just have to try and let it out. If I do that then I always have a chance. There were a few good bits in there. I have to be stronger than that in my next match, because I can't be that lucky again.
"To be in this arena is fantastic. I absolutely love it out there. It is an amazing tournament. I felt great and comfortable out there. Sometimes when you miss a few it can get a bit tough."
On the other table, Jones came through a nerve shredding encounter with Luca Brecel to seal his progression 6-5.
World number 17 Jones was the highest seed to come through the qualifying rounds. He defeated Ian Burns and Fan Zhengyi to seal his place in the final stages and is now seeking a return to the top 16 in the Johnstone's Paint World Rankings and qualification for the Masters. The cut off comes at the end of this week.
Defeat leaves Brecel in a perilous position. With his prize money for winning the 2023 World Championship coming off at the end of the season, he is currently projected to be in danger of losing his spot in the top 64 in the world.
Despite Brecel leading 5-3, the match came down to a dramatic final frame, where the Belgian had the first opportunity. He broke down on 42 and a clutch contribution of 66 from Jones helped him over the line for a massive victory.
Jones said: "You always want to do well in the big tournaments and this is the second biggest in the tour. The arena is amazing. I felt good towards the end there.
"Michael Holt is playing really well. To beat Gary Wilson 6-1 you must be doing something right. That is going to be a really tough game."