China's Ding Junhui was into the quarter-finals of Shanghai Masters for the fourth straight year, and was looking to earn a spot into the semi-finals as he faced Michael Holt. The Chinese potter won the event in 2013, and was looking to move a step closer to grabbing another title in his home country. 

Ding Junhui of China plays a shot during a quarterfinal match against Michael Holt of England at the 2016 Shanghai Masters world snooker tournament in Shanghai, China, Sept. 23, 2016.

Ding won the Six Red World Championship in Thailand earlier this month, and gets a nice ovation from the crowd in Shanghai.

The Chinese is leading 2-frames to 1, but makes a costly mistake in the fourth as the cue ball goes down. That allows Holt to fight back and tie it at two frames apiece.

But Ding regains his edge in the next frame. A break of 103 puts the former world number one back in the driver's seat. 

Ding looks set to go 4-2 up, but misfires in the sixth frame. A snooker would prove costly as Holt seizes the opportunity. 

If you are wondering what Holt, looks like, there he is -- the Englishman wins it with a 64 clearance to draw level 3-3.

But Ding soon regains the lead with a 61. Holt misses a black leading 34-32 in the eighth frame, handing his opponent the chance to close out the match. 

Ding adds 30 to put the result beyond doubt. 5-3, the Chinese knocks out Holt to make the last four. He'll play against Stephen Maguire for a berth in the final on Saturday. The other ticket to the final will be decided between Mark Selby and Stuart Bingham.