World number 12 Perry eventually won the opening frame, but it was a hard fought affair, with neither himself or Michael Holt being to capitalize on their chances. Cambridgeshire Perry sealed it after clearing from blue to black.
Holt nicknamed 'The Hitman' who is a friend of boxer Carl Froch, quickly erased the disappointment of losing the opener and pulled no punches when taking the second in convincing fashion, with a century Break.
Perry soon went one frame ahead again at 2-1, with modest contributions of 24,20 and 25. Holt looked well on his way to restore parity in the next until missing the final red along the side cushion, allowing Perry to rally. Perry did just that, displaying great character and produced a fine clearance to clinch the frame on the black,increasing his lead to two frames at 3-1.
With his place in the elite top 16 in jeopardy, Perry once again proved what a great player he is. After 'the Hitman' Holt rattled in a break of 64 he elected to take on a difficult red to the yellow pocket,in preference to an easy safety. The Nottinghamshire man was left to rue his decision, as the 2008 semi-finalist Perry calmly chipped away at his arrears and produced yet another classy clearance to steal it, opening up a 4-1 lead.
Still in a rich vein of form, Perry quickly increased his lead to 5-1, after he compiled a measured 62 break.
Holt clearly annoyed by his shot selection in the previous frame, he knuckled down in determined mood, stopping Perry from extending his lead further, with a modest run of 47. Thus reducing his arrears to 5-2. But it was Perry again, who opened up a four frame margin winning the eigth.
Looking by far the more composed, it was Perry who will be delighted with his afternoons' work. Winning the final frame of the session with the main contribution being a run of 55.
The match resumes Sunday at 7pm, with Perry requiring three more frames to secure a place in round two.
Stephen Hendry will take a slender lead into the second session of his first round match with Anda Zhang after establishing a 5-4 overnight lead, writes Jon Shaw.
The seven times world champion started brightly with a break of 60 in the opening frame before snatching a close second frame after Zhang was in first with a run of 48.
Zhang scored just five points in frames three and four and soon found himself 4-0 down at the mid-session interval. It looked as if Hendry would build up a commanding overnight lead, but it was not to be the case.
Zhang who had to win four matches including a 10-8 victory over Ricky Walden in final qualifying just to make it to the final venue began his recovery with a break of 83 in frame five. A run of 69 in frame six and a 64 in frame 7, soon had the Chinese qualifier just one behind Hendry at 4-3.
Hendry managed to claim a scrappy eighth frame which lasted 35 minutes to extend his advantage to 5-3. But it was Zhang who won the final session frame of the session after a crucial break of 46 to set up an intriguing final session.
The match plays to a finish on Sunday at 7pm.
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