Mark Selby joined Ronnie O'Sullivan in tumbling out of the Welsh Open while defending champion John Higgins prevailed in a final frame decider to reach the quarter-finals.
Selby shocked
Mark Selby, the world number one, made a break of 135 in the second frame in the process of moving 2-1 ahead of Hossein Vafaei and looked comfortable before the Iranian rallied.
He scored breaks of 52 and 56 to take the following two frames and won the sixth 88-6.
Selby moved 58-12 clear in the seventh and final frame but Vafaei was not overwhelmed and a break of 54 saw him clinch a stunning 4-3 win.
Higgins rediscovering form
John Higgins, meanwhile, was pushed all the way by Jack Lisowski, who three times came back from a frame down before losing 4-3.
Lisowski had two chances to secure victory in the decider and led 40-1 at one point, only for Higgins, chasing a sixth title, to hold his nerve with a 71 clearance.
The Scot will next take on Joe O'Connor, who saw off world number eight Ding Junhui 4-1 to reach the last eight.
Robertson rockets into last eight
Neil Robertson cruised into the quarter-finals of the Welsh Open in Cardiff on Thursday night thanks to a convincing 4-0 win over Michael Georgio.
The Australian wasted no time in getting through to the last eight, with breaks of 79, 75 and 62 helping him to seal victory over the Cypriot.
Robertson will face Norway’s Kurt Maflin in the quarter-finals after a break of 78 in the fourth frame helped him beat Elliot Slessor 4-2.
When you're watching the @manbetxofficial Welsh Open and someone asks if you're going out tonight for #ValentinesDay#WelshOpen @Eurosport_UK pic.twitter.com/5O5NDBPhVv
— World Snooker (@WorldSnooker) February 14, 2019
Bingham sees off Robbie Williams
Stuart Bingham was in superb form as he rattled off three century breaks to beat Robbie Williams 4-2 and ensure his place in the last eight.
Williams went 2-1 up after a 102-break of his own, but Bingham landed the final three frames thanks to breaks of 128, 103 and 124.
Bingham will face Zhao Xintong in the quarter-finals, as the Chinese 21-year-old beat Alexander Ursenbacher 4-2, a break of 86 in the sixth frame sealing the win.
Well, @Stuart__Bingham certainly knows how to close out a win...
— World Snooker (@WorldSnooker) February 14, 2019
THREE consecutive centuries seal his place in the quarter finals of the @manbetxofficial Welsh Open!
The 2017 champ will play Zhao Xintong #WelshOpen pic.twitter.com/ndku2vgKfs
Ding brushed aside by O’Connor
Ding Junhui could only muster a frame against Joe O’Connor as the man from the Midlands eased to a 4-1 victory.
A break of 93 in the second frame helped O’Connor race into a 3-0 lead before Ding won the fourth 80-6 to give himself a chance of making the comeback.
However, it was short-lived as O’Connor ground out the fifth frame 68-37 to earn himself a place in the last eight where he’ll face John Higgins who beat Jack Lisowski 4-3.
Lisowski played some wonderful shots on his way to two century breaks of 134 and 115, but it wasn't enough to beat Higgins who won the decider with a break of 71 to seal the win.
Giant killer?@JoeOc147 beat Kyren Wilson in a decider yesterday.
— World Snooker (@WorldSnooker) February 14, 2019
Now the world number 102 has knocked out Ding Junhui! #WelshOpen pic.twitter.com/AJd4mCs45i
Scott Donaldson is also in the quarter-finals after the Scot beat Ian Burns 4-2, a break of 110 in frame three helping him along the way.
He'll face Hossein Vafaei next after the Iranian beat Mark Selby 4-3 in a late-night thriller.
