Wu Yize continued his fine form as he beat world champion Zhao Xintong 9-6 to reach the International Championship final in Nanjing.
The 22-year-old, who came into the all-Chinese semi-final on a 12-frame winning streak, lost the first frame but soon settled, opening up a 4-2 lead with a sparkling 140.
The pair went into the break level at 4-4 but Wu took control afterwards as he ruthlessly won the next four frames while notching his 10th century of the tournament.
Zhao rallied to take the match to 6-8 but it was in vain as Wu forced a number of mistakes from his 28-year-old opponent in the 15th frame to claim victory.
“I’m quite excited. I didn’t think I could actually beat him. In fact, as soon as the second session began, I felt a lot of pressure,” said Wu.
“He missed a brown ball I didn’t expect in the ninth frame. I was ready to go to the bathroom and prepare for the next frame. It came as a surprise. It was a turning point.”
Wu will face the winner between John Higgins or Stephen Maguire, who play in the all-Scottish second semi-final on Saturday.
The final takes place on Sunday, with Wu looking to win his first ranking title.
He was a losing finalist twice last season after being beaten by Neil Robertson in the English Open and Lei Peifan at the Scottish Open.
“I’ve definitely improved since my last ranking final, especially recently. I feel I’ve started to make less mistakes in matches, compared to last year,” added Wu.
