Higgins battles back to reach semi-finals
John Higgins delivered an outstanding performance as he recovered from an 8-5 deficit to defeat Mark Selby 10-8, securing his place in the semi-finals of the Tour Championship in Manchester.
This match mirrored last year's final, also won by Higgins, where he initially took the lead but then witnessed fellow four-time world champion Selby produce breaks of 127 and 131, winning five frames consecutively.
Despite Selby's strong run, Higgins, aged 50, demonstrated resilience and an exceptional ability to elevate his game under pressure.
Although Selby encountered some unfortunate ball runs, Higgins responded decisively with breaks of 56, 92, 74, 78, and 72, replicating his previous year's success and setting up a semi-final clash with world champion Zhao Xintong on Saturday at 13:00 BST.
"I thought he was beginning to hit the ball superbly so you are thinking maybe it could be the same as last year," Higgins told 5Action.
"That is all I was hoping. It came true again. He went into the balls and didn't land on one and you are thinking maybe it is my turn. I was delighted the way I dug in."
Zhao Xintong advances with commanding win
Earlier on Thursday evening, Zhao Xintong, who will turn 29 on Friday, secured an impressive 10-4 victory over Chris Wakelin.
The Chinese player compiled breaks of 103, 93, and 120 to lead 5-3 after the opening session and maintained his momentum after the break.
A break of 70 extended his lead to 6-3. Although Wakelin responded with a 71 break, Zhao dominated the next four frames with breaks of 134, 108, 50, and 101 to close out the match.
Robertson reaches semi-finals after comeback win
Australia's Neil Robertson also progressed to the last four by defeating Barry Hawkins 10-8.
Robertson, who previously won the tournament in 2021 and 2022, will face world number one Judd Trump in a semi-final scheduled for Friday at 13:00 BST.
In a tightly contested match, Robertson trailed 7-5 before winning five of the final six frames to advance to his fourth ranking semi-final of the season.
"Things weren't going well. At 7-5 I had to regroup, I tried to hang in there," Robertson said.
"If I am going to have any chance of doing well in the World Championship where not every session goes your way, you need to find a way to get through it.
"It's a great win because alongside John Higgins and Mark Selby, Barry is one of the hardest players to beat."
