Nathan Aspinall is top of the Premier League table for the time being after edging past Rob Cross 7-5 despite having to fend off a late revival from 'Voltage'.
Aspinall has now secured his spot in the next stage while Cross is relying on other results going his way to avoid elimination and joining Glen Durrant.
The first two legs were shared before Cross surged ahead with a 68 checkout to make it 2-1.
Aspinall registered the first 180 of the match and double 10 to square it up at 2-2. He broke throw from there to lead 3-2 with a 146 checkout.
He was soon away and made it five legs on the spin and made sure of a point with a timely break but Cross was in free flow and broke to begin his fightback at 6-4 down.
It was three in a row as he sunk double 16 to make it 6-5 and force a decider but Aspinall won through to not only secure a potentially vital point but also his survival for sure.