Aaron Hill's brilliant European Masters march was ended by Yan Bingtao tonight.
The Cork teenager beat reigning world champ Ronnie O'Sullivan last night and followed up by defeating Matthew Stevens to make the last 16 earlier today.
Ranked 100 places above him in the world rankings, Bingtao halted Hill's progress with a comprehensive 5-1 victory in Milton Keynes.
His 20-year-old Chinese opponent raced into a 2-0 and then 3-1 lead, and it was a deficit which Hill wasn't able to come back from. It was nevertheless a hugely memorable week for the new pro.
The 18-year-old caused a sensation on Thursday night when he edged out reigning world champ O'Sullivan 5-4 in the second round, having already dispatched Andy Hicks.
Nicknamed 'The Breeze', the Cork teenager - who only turned professional in March - kept his promise to just 'play the table' to dispatch the veteran Welshman, who is a two-time World Championship losing finalist.
Hill, who only took up the sport as a 14-year-old, quickly fell 2-1 behind.
But the current European under-18 and under-21 champion restored parity in the fourth frame before compiling a break in the 70s in the fifth to take the lead.
Stevens, 43, was left needing a snooker in an exciting sixth frame but Hill remained solid to make it 4-3.
Needing just one more frame, he breaks of 24 and 35 for a 59-5 lead, and it was enough to claim the victory.
