Ronnie O'Sullivan registered three centuries in beating George Pragnall 5-2 in a German Masters qualifier to move two behind all-time record holder Stephen Hendry.
O'Sullivan dispatched Pragnall in Wigan with three successive century breaks of 117, 106 and 104 to take his career total to 773 tons.
The five-time world champion, who is ranked number three in the world, could bridge the gap to the legendary Scot in his last-64 clash with Aditya Mehta.
The 39-year-old won the UK Championship earlier this month with a 10-9 victory over Judd Trump.
