Ken Doherty's Benson and Hedges Masters dream is still alive, but only just after another gripping match at Wembley Conference Centre on Sunday.
After Alan McManus' tense 6-5 win over Masters new boy Mark Davis earlier in the day, Doherty came through against Matthew Stevens in another deciding frame finish.
"I played my get out of jail card," said the Dubliner after avenging his 10-8 defeat by Welshman Stevens in the 2000 final.
"I had chances to win the match 6-2, 6-3 and 6-4. And sometimes when you don't take your chances the balls don't forgive you.
"But I had a bit of luck at the end because I would have been devastated had I lost," said the Dubliner, also runner-up to John Higgins in 1999.
The match finally swung in Doherty's favour when he fluked a snooker on the final yellow.
Doherty played steadily to take a 3-0 lead before Stevens opened his account with an 88 clearance in frame four.
The players then traded century breaks to leave the match at 4-2 in the Dubliner's favour. Doherty added 61 to regain his three-frame cushion only for a half-century by his Carmarthen rival to keep his own title hopes alive.
Doherty led by 21 points on the final green in frame nine but inexplicably missed the ball into a bottom pocket.
Stevens cleared up with 25 to keep the contest alive. He tied the game at 5-5 and despite an opening 38 from Doherty in the decider was still in contention as the former world champion struggled to get over the line.
But the fluked snooker proved pivotal and Doherty can now look forward to playing 1995 champion Ronnie O'Sullivan or Masters debutant Joe Perry on Thursday for a place in the semi-finals.