Chris Wakelin withstood a valiant fightback from Xiao Guodong to reach the final of the International Championship in Nanjing.
The former Shoot Out winner had one foot in the final when moving 8-5 ahead in the race to nine, but Xiao needed no second invitation when Wakelin opened the door, and it required a final frame to decide the outcome of this titanic tussle.
Xiao had first chance in the decider but another poor miss with the rest cut short his visit, and Wakelin stepped up with a terrific match-winning break of 67 which was greeted with a puff of his cheeks when the match was finally won.
Wakelin had always appeared to have matters in hand, doing the bulk of the scoring, including a high break of 119 and eight more breaks of fifty-plus, and at one stage he led 7-3.
However, Xiao – winner of the Wuhan Open recently – produced a brave late rally which threatened to break Wakelin's heart, before the Englishman finally secured his place in the final.
Wakelin told World Snooker Tour: "I've worked my entire life at this game for moments like this.
"From 8-5 I threw it away. I made ridiculously easy mistakes. In the decider I knew it was now or never, I had to forget about what had happened.
"I'm so relieved to have a day off tomorrow because I'm done in! That was the hardest match of my life.
"In the first ten years of my career, so many times I put myself in winning situations in matches, but didn't take those chances.
"This was my final because getting into the top 16 was the goal. But now the shackles are off and I know I have performances like that in me."
Wakelin will face either Ding Junhui or Xu Si in Sunday's final.
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