Rod Lawler was delighted after reaching his first quarter-final in a full ranking event for more than a decade, setting up a clash with Mark Davis after coming through a rollercoaster ride against China’s Tian Pengfei 5-4. Liverpool’s Lawler, 42, had led 4-0 before Tian hit top gear to level at 4-4 – but the world No50 edged through on the final blue. Lawler, a professional for 24 years, fell off the tour in 2012 but got straight back on via Qualifying School. Though a winner of a PTC later that year, the last time Lawler was in the final eight of a major event was the 2003 Welsh Open, staged at the Cardiff International Arena. He lost 5-2 to Stephen Hendry, who went on to win the title that year. After his last-16 victory in Berlin he was already describing it a “perfect week” following Liverpool’s derby demolition of Everton on Tuesday.