Oliver Wilson led Luke Donald by two at the halfway stage of their all-English clash in Tucson, Arizona.
Fighting for a place in the quarter-finals of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, Wilson was facing his third European opponent in a row.
After knocking out Miguel Angel Jiménez and Rory McIlroy, the Mansfield golfer - still to win a professional title - opened with a ten foot birdie putt.
Donald, behind for the first time this week, levelled when Wilson bogeyed the short third but dropped shots himself at the next two holes.
There was more wind than on the opening two days and it showed when a par won Donald the short sixth before he had another bogey after driving into sand.
With last year's runner-up, and now favourite, Paul Casey two up after eight on American Brian Gay and Ian Poulter, the only other top ten seed left in, marching into a three up advantage on Indian Jeev Milkha Singh, it was looking like three English players in the last eight.
Poulter birdied the first and fifth, then Singh bogeyed the next, while Casey came from one down after three with birdies at the fourth, seventh and eighth.
Sergio Garcia was the other European involved and in the opening match of the day he stood two up on South African Tim Clark with eight to play.
Clark's compatriot Retief Goosen was two up on American Nick Watney after five, while Colombian Camilo Villegas and Thai Thongchai Jaidee held the same early advantage against American Ben Crane and Japan's 18 year old Ryo Ishikawa respectively.
Casey and Poulter were still in firm control at three up with seven and nine to play respectively, but Wilson lost the long 11th to a Donald birdie and was only one ahead with five remaining.
Garcia was brought back to all square by Clark, but made a 20 footer from just short of the 14th green to nose in front once more.
Jaidee, seeded 48th of the 64 players, was the one holding the biggest lead. Ishikawa trailed by four with eight to go.
