Judd Trump produced a dominant display to thrash Pang Junxu 6-1 in the first round of the UK Championship in York.
England’s Trump signalled his intent with a wonderful break of 114 in the opening frame.
While a half century briefly helped China’s Pang draw level, the world number two then went through the gears with runs of 124, 68 and 50 as he completed his victory.
Trump will meet Jack Lisowski or Jamie Jones next.
Lisowski and Jones, and Mark Selby and Mark Joyce all play later on Monday at 19:00 GMT.
“I’m playing well. I feel like I’m a player that is either amazing or terrible and I feel if I can get through the first two rounds then nothing is stopping me. It is quite rare for me to lose in a semi or quarter-final,” Trump told BBC Sport, adding he had been struggling with illness.”
Meanwhile, Barry Hawkins came from 3-1 down to defeat fellow Englishman Ben Woollaston 6-4.
World number 51 Woollaston began with a century and initially had the edge, but a long missed red at 4-4 on a run of 51 allowed Hawkins to pinch the frame with a 70.
This season’s European Masters winner rounded off his win with a break of 69 and will face Selby or Joyce in the last 16.
Trump in confident mood
Trump’s assuredness extends from arriving at the Barbican as the form player of the season, having already won the English Open, Wuhan Open and Northern Ireland Open to take his tally of ranking titles to 26.
“The belief is back. Ronnie [O’Sullivan] is an amazing player but I’ve always felt that, when people were saying ‘when Ronnie plays his best nobody is as good as him’, I don’t feel like that,” Trump added.
“I feel that on my day I have so much belief that when I play my best nobody can get near me. It is something I tell myself and I think I have got that back. It is a venue I have struggled with at times but I feel a lot better than the last few years.”
Unsurprisingly, he was also an overwhelming favourite to defeat Pang, who is yet to win or break inside the top 30 in the world rankings.
While Pang struggled to convert several openings into frame-winning contributions, Trump was able to go through his full repertoire of attacking shots, with a short delay due to a member of the public falling ill in the auditorium doing little to disrupt his rhythm.
A superb exhibition shot playing off two cushions to pot the yellow into the top corner pocket on his way to a century in the fourth frame was arguably the highlight of the match and underlined his status as the man to beat this week as he eyes regaining the top spot in the world rankings from O’Sullivan.
