Jimmy White put old rival Stephen Hendry to the sword for the third time this year to breeze into the quarter-finals of the £400,000 European Open on the windswept Mediterranean island of Malta tonight.
The Whirlwind blew up a storm of his own as he scored a 5-3 victory over seven-times world champion Hendry, who also fell victim to White in the Premier League in January and at the Masters at Wembley last month.
And White revealed that a refusal to hit Malta's nightspots on the eve of the match - despite numerous invitations - had proved a sensible decision.
"I had eight people ringing me up last night to go out but I resisted the temptation," said the renowned playboy, who at 41 admits it is time to slow down.
"I'm working hard. I've always loved the game but now I'm treating it with the right respect and getting some payback for it."
Hendry, unconvincing during a 5-1 first round victory over Jimmy Michie, was again all at sea as he wasted a glorious chance to trim the gap between himself and pacesetter Mark Williams at the top of the provisional world rankings.
"I just played dreadfully. It was a horrendous performance. I wasn't thinking about the rankings. I just couldn't seem to get any kind of form going," groaned the Scot.
While Hendry had a nightmare of a day, fellow countryman John Higgins sailed into the quarter-finals with a second straight 5-0 victory. Two days after brushing past Barry Pinches, Higgins kept another clean sweep, this time against Graeme Dott, an opponent he has now beaten nine times 10 career meetings.