Mark Williams produced a classy display to defeat Ali Carter 13-8 in the quarter-finals of the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre.
Williams, world champion in 2000 and 2003, has enjoyed a splendid season to date and continued his fine run of form with a superb display in front of the Crucible crowd.
Already victorious in the Northern Ireland Open and German Masters so far this term, Williams came into this last-eight clash following comfortable victories over Jimmy Robertson and Robert Milkins but was made to work hard by Carter in the early part of this contest.
The first session concluded with the pair locked at 4-4 and Carter, who beat Ronnie O'Sullivan in the second round, continued to trade punches with Williams until the Welshman produced a flawless century break to end the second session with a 9-7 lead.
That might well have been the turning in the match and Williams returned this evening in similarly strong form, winning three of the next four frames before sealing victory in the first frame after the mid-session interval.
Williams made four hundreds in the match and will take on Barry Hawkins in the semi-finals, the latter another sure to be full of confidence following his comfortable defeat of Ding Junhui.