Current world champion John Higgins advanced to the last eight, beating Matthew Stevens 6-2.
Higgins, who began with a break of 90, won three frames in a row to progress.
The world number three has previously won the tournament twice but crashed out at the first round stage to Graeme Dott last year.
"I was a little bit nervous," said Higgins, who praised the event's new venue.
"It's the first competitive snooker I've played since the UK Championships last month.
"I always felt overawed at Wembley. It was such a massive area. I won it twice, but I've lost about seven or eight first-round games.
"Here, you're not as close as the Crucible, but it is an enclosed area and it gets a big thumbs up from me."
