Stuart Bingham beat Mark Selby 3-1 to clinch victory in Championship League Group 2 at the Morningside Arena in Leicester on Thursday.
The 2015 champion finished third after the round-robin phase with four wins from his six league encounters.
After a stellar last four triumph over Gary Wilson in which Bingham compiled breaks of 96, 108, and 118, the former world champion held off local boy Selby in the deciding match.
The first two frames between the English pair were shared but, after clinching a close vital third frame, Bingham sealed the success with a run of 92.
The result sends Bingham through to the Championship League Winners’ Group in March, joining Neil Robertson who emerged from Group 1 on Tuesday.
Selby had beaten table-topper Kyren Wilson in his Championship League Group 2 semi-final clash.
The duo, alongside the other Wilson and fifth placed Barry Hawkins, will have another opportunity to progress during Group 3 later this month.
Jack Lisowski, a runner-up in this competition earlier this year, and Group 1 finalist Ryan Day both exit the competition.
The Championship League is making its return to the calendar for a 13th season, beginning three months earlier than its usual starting slot of January.
The format remains the same as usual, with seven groups comprising seven players in each battling it out to become group winners.
Those winners will subsequently contest a final group in March to determine who is the overall champion.
The event is played behind closed doors and is aimed primarily at the betting market, but does provide the players who participate in it with useful match practice, some extra dosh, and a possible ticket through to the Champion of Champions.
