Stuart Bingham reached the quarter-finals of the Dafabet Masters for the first time with a 6-4 win over Ding Junhui, though he passed up the chance of a 147.

World Champion Bingham has a surprisingly poor record at snooker’s biggest invitation event, having failed to get beyond the last 16 in six previous appearances. But the Essex cueman has now made that breakthrough and will meet John Higgins or Liang Wenbo on Friday.

However there was one moment to regret for the world number two as he failed to convert what would have been only the fourth maximum in the history of the Masters, missing the yellow on 120.

Ding won the Masters in 2011, the last time it was held at Wembley Arena, but has come nowhere near that achievement since the event moved to Alexandra Palace, losing in the first round five times in a row.

Bingham’s 147 attempt came in the third frame, with the score at 1-1. He potted 15 reds with blacks but was then faced with a difficult yellow to a baulk corner and under-cut it. A maximum would have put him in line for the £10,000 high break prize. He added the fourth frame with a run of 60 to lead 3-1 at the interval.