Marco Fu through to World Championship last eight

Marco Fu became the first player to book his place in the World Championship quarter-finals with a hard-fought 13-9 win over qualifier Anthony McGill.

The 14th seed overcame a valiant bid by Scot McGill, who knocked out last year's beaten finalist Shaun Murphy in the first round, to reach the last eight for the third time in his career and for the first time in 10 years.

The 38-year-old from Hong Kong took a 9-7 lead into the evening session and won four of the next six frames, aided by a superb century break in the fourth frame of the night, to see off his younger opponent.

McGill, 25, opened the evening session with a break of 97 to reduce the arrears to 9-8 but Fu responded with a break of 56 to regain a two-frame lead at 10-8.

Fu looked unsure as McGill sealed the next frame 62-15 to make it 10-9, but rallied with breaks of 100, 55 and 69 to take the next three and put the match to bed.

Resuming on Friday at 5-3 behind, McGill won the first three frames of the day to nudge 6-5 in front.

Fu took the next two to regain his slender lead, before McGill recovered the two snookers he required to win a marathon frame 14 and level the score again.

With both players under-performing in an increasingly scrappy affair, Fu won the final two frames of the morning session to establish himself as favourite to progress.

Former two-time champion Mark Williams, pushed hard by qualifier Michael Holt, will take a 10-6 lead into the final session of his second round match on Saturday afternoon.

Williams, fortunate to find himself level at 4-4 going into the second session, won the first two frames of the evening thanks to breaks of 87 and 61 to open up a 6-4 lead.

But Holt, who stunned Neil Robertson in the first round, responded with a break of 83 to take the next and then levelled it up again at 6-6.

Welshman Williams, winner in 2000 and 2003, made a break of 64 to take the 13th frame and looked to have gained the upper hand at last by taking the final three frames, the last being secured by a break of 68.