Ding Junhui produced a devastating display to thrash mentor Ronnie O'Sullivan 6-0 in the quarter-finals of the UK Championship.
After two tight frames both went the way of Ding, he went on to rattle off a series of frame-winning breaks to complete one of the most astonishing results in the history of the tournament.
The Rocket scored just four points after he'd fallen 2-0 behind as Ding finished the job with a 131 break, cruising into the semi-finals of an event he's won three times including when seeing off O'Sullivan en route to the title in 2019.
It was the latest and greatest shock in a renewal packed with them, and O'Sullivan's first whitewash defeat since losing 5-0 to Hossein Vafaei in qualifying for the German Masters last year.
The crushing scoreline marked the first time that snooker's GOAT had ever lost to nil in any of the Triple Crown events he's entered since making his debut way back at the 1992 UK Championship.
However, the seven-time UK champion, who has won 21 Triple Crowns overall, claimed not to care about such a landmark moment in a spectacular career.
Ronnie O’Sullivan on whether he cares about suffering his first ever whitewash defeat at a Triple Crown event. I think you can guess what he'll say.
— Chris Hammer (@ChrisHammer180) November 18, 2022
He also compares Ding Junhui to a classy racehorse... pic.twitter.com/EaLe3XtuVL
He said: "Yeah, that's really going to harm my career that one isn't it?!
"I've been in this game 30 years and taken some knocks along the way. Like I said, it doesn't matter to me.
"I haven't lost any sleep over anything for the last 10 years, I'll keep doing what I'm doing and having fun. As long as it works for me, I'll keep pitching up and playing. There's another tournament next week.
Have you ever seen anything like it?
— Sporting Life 🎯🔴🎾⛳️🥊🏏🏉 🏈 (@SportingLifeFC) November 18, 2022
🤯 Not even Ronnie O'Sullivan has. It's his first ever whitewash defeat in a Triple Crown event.
👏 Ding Junhuipic.twitter.com/5Tx4vFx6HG
"I'll be glad of the rest, do some punditry, go on some runs and have a few Guinness's. Snooker can be quite stressful sometimes.
"There were no nerves. Everyone who plays snooker knows that some days you play great and some days you don't. Today was just one of those days, what can you do?"
On Ding's achievement, which snapped a seven-game losing streak against him, the 46-year-old said: "It's good to see him do well, he's a class act. At the end I told him he played great and that he should go on and win it and get the job done.
"It would be nice to see him win it, I think we are all Ding fans."
Ding has struggle for form and success since lifting his third UK crown back in 2019 - with his others coming way back in 2005 and 2009 - and has slipped down to number 30 in the world rankings.
But O'Sullivan never doubted his class.
"He's an amazing, proper player. The rankings don't matter, he's down there because of the way the tour is these days. You don't put a racehorse in some mucky old course - that won't bring the best out of it. Ding doesn't thrive in the smaller venues with no crowds; those conditions are an evener that the lower ranked players enjoy, whereas Ding probably wonders why he's there.
"Today shows that at a proper event, he's great."
The result also ends his chances of winning all the Triple Crown tournaments in the same season - one of the few feats he's yet to achieve in the world of snooker. Only Steve Davis (1988-89), Stephen Hendry (1989-90, 1995-96) and Mark Williams (2002-03) have ever managed it.
Not that he'd probably care about that, either.
Ding Junhui produces a special 6-0 win over Ronnie O'Sullivan, who gives him a warm embrace before letting him take centre stage pic.twitter.com/JuSonV6w3u
— Chris Hammer (@ChrisHammer180) November 18, 2022
Next for Ding is a meeting with Tom Ford, who beat Joe Perry 6-4 to earn his second appearance in a UK semi-final, the first having ended in a thumping defeat at the hands of O'Sullivan in 2018.
Ford was never behind in a tight game with Perry, one which was extended further than looked likely when match ball rattled in the jaws to allow Perry to close within one at 5-4.
Ford then put together what proved to be a match-winning run in the next frame as he overcame a nervy safety battle to get within one win of his first Triple Crown final.
Ronnie O’Sullivan’s 147 breaks as you’ve never seen them before. There’s some great soundbites to compliment his magic pots but it all gets bit frantic from 5 minutes onwards!
— Chris Hammer (@ChrisHammer180) November 16, 2022
Oh, he gets a handshake after each of them 😉 pic.twitter.com/2rcdS9KHTh
Lisowski lights up York; Allen prevails
Jack Lisowski underlined his star potential by firing in four successive centuries during his 6-1 triumph over Shaun Murphy in the evening session.
His sparkling run equalled a ranking event record as he compiled breaks of 105, 127, 123 and 100 before Murphy finally responded with an effort of 111, which he marked with an ironic bow.
That merely delayed the inevitable as Lisowski sealed victory on the final black of frame seven.
👏 Shaun Murphy believes there's only one player who can make snooker "look anywhere as easy" as Jack Lisowski makes it and that's Ronnie O'Sullivan. pic.twitter.com/oAWAdeZtd3
— Sporting Life 🎯🔴🎾⛳️🥊🏏🏉 🏈 (@SportingLifeFC) November 18, 2022
Mark Allen had to come from 4-2 down in the night's other match to overcome surprise quarter-finalist Sam Craigie 6-4 and set up a mouthwatering clash with Lisowski.
The Northern Irishman was up against it produced breaks of 50, 108, 92 and 53 in successive frames as he kept alive his hopes of lifting this trophy for the first time having previously been a runner-up in 2011 and 2018.
