Higgins Levels Semi-Final Against Murphy
John Higgins is competing in his 12th Crucible semi-final.
John Higgins delivered a determined performance to recover from a 3-1 deficit and draw level at 4-4 with Shaun Murphy during the opening session of their World Championship semi-final at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
The four-time world champion's play was far from smooth, with his highest break being 50, which secured him the eighth frame of the match.
Throughout much of Thursday afternoon, Higgins appeared to still be affected by his late-night quarter-final win over Neil Robertson, missing several straightforward shots in a display marked by errors.
Nevertheless, as has been evident multiple times in the tournament, he demonstrated the resilience and solid matchplay skills that make him a formidable competitor.
The best-of-33 frames match will continue on Friday at 10:00 BST. The other semi-final, featuring China's Wu Yize and Northern Ireland's Mark Allen, is scheduled to begin at 19:00 on Thursday.
England's Murphy, the 2005 world champion, seemed to be in full control early on, compiling breaks of 68, 69, and 100 to take a 3-1 lead at the mid-session interval.
At that point, the world number eight appeared poised to build a substantial overnight lead, but he too committed several loose shots, which provided Higgins an opportunity to re-enter the contest during his 100th match at snooker's most prestigious venue.
The Scot took two scrappy frames to level at 3-3 and then responded once more with a 40 and a half-century in the final frame, ensuring he was not trailing at the end of the opening session for the first time in this year's tournament.
