Hong Kong potter MarcoFu beat Shropshire qualifier Adrian Gunnell 5-3 to progress, while local favourite Ryan Day impressed with a 5-2 victory over Belfast's Mark Allen.
He was unlucky not to clinch his first major title at the 1999 British Open in Plymouth, beating MarcoFu, Paul Hunter, Mark Williams, Stephen Hendry and Jimmy Michie before going down 9-7 to Fergal O'Brien in a tense final.