Shaun Murphy, Kyren Wilson, Mark Williams and China’s Pang Junxu have all progressed to the quarter-finals of the Northern Ireland Open in Belfast after winning their third-round matches on Thursday afternoon.
Murphy recovered from 3-1 down to beat Stuart Bingham 4-3, while world champion Wilson saw off exciting teenager Stan Moody 4-1.
Mark Williams defeated Ma Hailong 4-2 and Pang whitewashed Martin O’Donnell 4-0.
Williams will play Wilson in a heavyweight last-eight encounter, with Murphy awaiting the winner of Thursday evening’s all-English match between defending NI Open champion and world number one Judd Trump and Barry Hawkins.
Pang will play either English Open winner Neil Robertson or Oliver Lines, conqueror of Mark Allen, in another of Friday’s best-of-nine-frame quarter-finals.
Murphy compiled a break of 104 to win the first frame of his match, but Bingham responded with a 121 to draw level, then took the second and put together a run of 101 to open up a two-frame advantage.
Breaks of 56 and 52 helped Murphy restore parity at 3-3 and the world number eight got over the line by coming out on top in the decider on the black to secure a third quarter-final appearance at the event.
A 91 break saw Wilson get off to a flying start against 18-year-old Moody, who was bidding to reach the quarter-final stage of a ranking tournament for the first time.
The world number two added the next frames to assume control of the contest but his opponent replied with a 70 to reduce his arrears.
Wilson closed out the match by winning a scrappy fifth frame.
Former NI Open winner Williams moved two frames ahead in his game but Ma Hailong won frames three and four to claw his way back into the match.
The three-time world champion from Wales proved too strong however, showing his experience to take the next two to advance.
