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BEIJING, March 30 (Xinhua) -- Defending champion Judd Trump continued his momentum at the 2017 World Snooker China Open here on Thursday, firing the third 147 of his career in an 5-3 victory over home player Tian Pengfei to head into the last eight.
Meanwhile world No. 4 Ding Junhui kept his winning streak, coming from behind to beat Mark Joyce 5-3 to set a quarterfinal against Kyren Wilson.
World No. 2 Trump nestled the last black in the top jaw to make a thrilling 147 in the fifth frame and collected 30,000 pounds as reward.
"I've had a lot of good chances recently and it was nice to make a 147 on the TV table," said the 27-year-old Briton.
The obstinate Tian then fought back with breaks of 60 and 63 to close the gap to one at 4-3, before Trump picked up just in time to complete a run of 62 to secure the win.
"(In) the next frame I potted a good ball. I then split the pack well but unfortunately the red went in. I probably would have made another century if that didn' t happen. After that he played well and things like that can change games, so I'm happy to get through," Trump added.
Trump will play Hossein Vafaei, who knocked out Rory McLeod, in the quarterfinal on Friday.
After losing the first two frames, Ding gradually found his way and levelled the score 2-2. Joyce won the fifth frame, and it was Ding after that and a lucky ball in the eighth frame helped him seal the match and a ticket to the next stage.
"I made some mistakes at the beginning, while Mark played very well and grasped the chance to take a lead," said home favourite Ding. "But I managed to keep my form. No matter what the score was, I played my own game."
Mark Williams pulled off a magnificent fight to come from a 4-1 down to defeat John Higgins 5-4, keeping his hope of qualifying directly for the Crucible alive. The Welsh needs to win the China Open this week to edge compatriot Ryan Day out of the world's top 16.
