Pang Junxu marched into the semi-finals of the Northern Ireland Open with a nerveless 5-4 defeat of English Open hero Neil Robertson in Belfast.
At the end of a terrific tussle in which Robertson could never quite shake off his younger opponent, Pang belied his inexperience, producing a steely clearance of 85 to take the match to a deciding frame before finishing the job with a 129 total clearance.
Pang displayed impressive reliance as early as early as the fourth frame, a missed green when a couple of pots from the winning line in frame three quickly brushed off as he levelled with a run of 87.
And that proved to be the story of the match, Robertson twice poking his nose in front again to lead 3-2 and 4-3, only to be pegged back by Pang who just refused to be beaten.
He did need a slice of good fortune, Robertson unlucky when losing position following a split into the pack on 40 in frame 10, which Pang ruthlessly took advantage of.
But Pang's match-winning clearance was all class, suggesting he might yet prove a match for Kyren Wilson on Saturday afternoon, the world champion having overpowered Mark Williams 5-1 in their meeting.
"I'm very happy to have won," Pang told World Snooker Tour.
"Being able to seize the opportunity and clear the table in the deciding frame feels really great. I tried not to overthink and just focused on playing, capitalising on Neil's mistakes.
"I generally don’t get influenced by the crowd - once I’m immersed in the game, there’s no pressure, and I feel quite comfortable with that."
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