Judd Trump overcame a late hiccup to reach the quarter-finals of the Dafabet Masters with a convincing 6-2 defeat of rival Kyren Wilson.
The world number five looked on course for a whitewash as he opened up a 5-0 lead in what had been billed as a grudge match before errors allowed Wilson to pull two frames back.
But Trump soon recovered his composure at Alexandra Palace and wrapped up victory - his first in five matches against Wilson - with a break of 72.
Trump told BBC Sport: "Everyone had been building it up. We don't really see eye to eye. Both of us have got massive self-belief.
"The two of us clash, we don't speak. We don't really get on.
"I'm happy to have won that. I think it would have been very disappointing to lose the game."
Trump, who was beaten by Wilson in last year's semi-finals, made an early statement of intent with a break of 128 in the opening frame. He then took the second with two breaks of more than 40 and stole the third and fourth after Wilson squandered good opportunities.
Wilson looked to have edged a safety battle in the fifth but missed another good opening to allow Trump to move within one of victory.
Wilson capitalised on an error to finally register a frame with a break of 73 in the sixth and he also snatched the next after Trump missed a potential match-winning pink.
But Trump was not to be denied and he made no mistakes to take victory at the third attempt.
Afterwards he said he had not let his rivalry with Wilson affect his game.
He said: "It is good to win. I just went out there and tried to play like I would against anyone else.
"With what everyone has made of it, I think if you go in there trying too hard it can backfire. I tried to play the balls and clear up whenever I could.
"I missed an important one to win the match but I did well in the last frame to get over the line."
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