China's Ding Junhui fired a maximum break and two further centuries in a classic quarter-final win over Mark Allen at the Dafabet Players Tour Championship Grand Finals.

In an amazing start to the match, Ding made the fifth maximum of his career in the opening frame. Only Ronnie O'Sullivan, Stephen Hendry and John Higgins have made more.

Northern Ireland's Allen fought back to win the next two frames with a top break of 58, but a missed red early in frame four proved costly as Ding made a 138 total clearance. Allen then had a chance to regain the lead but another missed red to a top corner on 44 let Ding in for an 81 clearance.

The high scoring continued as Allen's 125 made it 3-3. And inevitably the match finished with another century as Ding capitalised on a loose safety from Allen to make a 108, his seventh ton in the 12 frames he has won this week.

"I only missed a couple of balls in the match, but that was just a couple too many the way Ding was playing," Allen said.

Even Ding found his feat hard to believe.

"It was crazy today, I made a maximum in the first frame and I only made one mistake with position, when I left the white close to a cushion and had to pot a red to a middle pocket," he told World Snooker.