Battling a spinal problem which is causing intense pain, Hossein Vafaei beat Xu Si 4-3 in the second round of the World Grand Prix as he continued to take advantage of his late call-up in place of Ronnie O'Sullivan.
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This time last week, Vafaei didn't think he had a place in Hong Kong, but when O'Sullivan pulled out on Saturday he was given the spot, as the next player in line on the Johnstone's Paint One-Year Rankings. And after beating Si Jiahui 4-3 in round one, Vafaei enjoyed another narrow victory against Xu, winning the sixth frame on the final black for 3-3 and the decider on the final pink. His top breaks in those two matches were just 58 and 56 but Iran's leading player is into the quarter-finals and faces Judd Trump on Friday.
For several weeks, Vafaei has been suffering from the effects of a problem with a disc in his upper spine, but has no intention of pulling out. "I am playing with one hand, I am in so much pain with my neck and shoulder," said the 30-year-old former Shoot Out champion. "But I am always fighting for my fans and I'm delighted for them to win today. If I pull out, what would I do, sit and watch the others? So I want to try. When I sit in my chair, my hand is shaking, my left arm is completely numb. I don't have any feeling on the shot.
"Last week I was in Chengdu and I went to hospital there but I didn't have time for an MRI scan. I had a CT scan. I know I need physiotherapy and exercise. After this event I will go to Iran, see the Olympic doctor there and he will help me. In the mean time I have had acupuncture with small electric shocks to the nerve and hopefully that will help after a few days."
Vafaei was in Chengdu when he received the news of a call-up to this week's event. He added: "I was very happy to have a place although I hope Ronnie is happy and healthy. I love playing in Hong Kong and China, this is the place I want to be. They treat us really well. Judd is a good friend, a great champion and ambassador. It's nice to see he has achieved his dream, he is one of my heroes. Hopefully we can put on a good show for the fans."
Shaun Murphy enjoyed a 4-1 victory over Barry Hawkins with top breaks of 75 and 51. With runs to the quarter-finals this week, both Murphy and Neil Robertson have strengthened their hopes of being seeded among the top 16 for the Crucible. With a guaranteed total of £35,000 if they qualify for both the Sportsbet.io Players Championship and Sportsbet.io Tour Championship, they are sure to move above Jak Jones, Gary Wilson and Tom Ford in the Race to the Crucible.
Murphy, who now meets John Higgins, said: "Last time I played Barry he broke my heart at the UK Championship (in the quarter-finals when Hawkins won 6-2). I'm delighted with the win, I would have liked to knock in a few more big breaks for a great crowd. But I'd rather play badly and win than play well and lose."
Mark Selby reached his 100th ranking event quarter-final with a 4-2 win over Jimmy Robertson, highlighted by breaks of 102 and 74. The four-time World Champion, who won last month's BetVictor Welsh Open, will now meet Stuart Bingham.
Xiao Guodong made three centuries during a 4-3 win in a Chinese derby against Lei Peifan. From 2-0 down, Wuhan Open champion Xiao fired runs of 117, 128 and 128 as he set up a quarter-final with Neil Robertson.