Joe Perry rose above the pressure of a partisan Chinese crowd to knock home favourite Ding Junhui out of the Wuxi Classic.

Perry edged two close frames to open the match but Ding hit back with a run of 79. However, the Englishman then produced breaks of 71, 80 and 70 in successive frames which saw him claim the victory.

"Joe played really well and made the most of every chance. He could have beaten anyone today," said Ding.

"I made 40s and 50s then broke down, and I wasn't able to control the delicate shots very well."

Despite Ding's loss, home fans were pleased by another Chinese player Cao Yuepeng's surprise victory.

World number 65 Cao battled back from 3-1 down to win 5-4 against World Championship finalist Hawkins.