Matthew Stevens showed today he will not be brushed aside by Stephen Hendry in the same way as fellow young gun Paul Hunter as he began the Embassy World Championship quarter-finals with a flourish.
The 23-year-old Welshman, runner-up to compatriot Mark Williams last year, opened up a 6-2 lead over the Scot, who had fired a warning to the next generation with his 13-5 demolition of Hunter yesterday.
Making his fourth successive appearance in the last eight at the Crucible, Stevens is a much more experienced campaigner than Hunter and was expected to provide the seven-times former champion with a sterner test.
Stevens has conceded fewer frames in the first two rounds than his seven remaining rivals for the Stg£250,000 first prize and his fine form continued right from the off this morning.
The first frame could have gone either way until Hendry went in off after potting the yellow and sixth seed Stevens capitalised to take the lead.
A break of 57 helped the world number three to draw level but Stevens immediately edged ahead again and then knocked in a cracking 87 to give himself a two-frame advantage at the mid-session interval.
The 15-minute break did not adversely affect Stevens at all and he clinched another frame with a break of 56 before pouncing on a mistake from Hendry in the next to open a 5-1 lead.
Hendry refused to be overshadowed and displayed his own break-building prowess with a majestic 106 which reduced his deficit to 5-2.
But in the final frame of the morning session a break of 58 helped Stevens to 25-62 win and a commanding lead in the match. The quarter-final will resume at 6.45 p.m. this evening.