Mark Selby produced a fine performance to power to a 13-7 win over John Higgins in the World Snooker Championship quarter-final.
The Wizard of Wishaw started the match brilliantly, making three half-centuries as he opened up an early 4-1 lead.
Selby was unruffled, though, winning the next six frames with four half-centuries and a ton for good measure, looking very strong in the process.
Higgins could never claw back the Jester from Leicester after falling behind there and it ended up being a surprisingly comfortable win for the Englishman over a legend of the game who had come into the match in fine form.
‘He played amazing to go 4-4, I didn’t really do much wrong. But I played a terrible first frame today, from then it went downhill from me and Mark got stronger,’ Higgins told the BBC. ‘He totally took me apart, really, his safety was incredible.
‘He’s an animal on the table, he really is. He’s just a master at the game of snooker, he’s an incredible player.’
Selby added: ‘I felt like I had to play like I played to beat John. I watched him against Kyren and he was unbelievable. I knew I had to be on top of my game.
‘I felt like my safety from start to finish was as good as it’s probably ever been.’
The 39-year-old is into an eighth World Championship semi-final where he will meet Mark Allen after the Pistol downed Jak Jones earlier on Wednesday.
Allen is only playing his second Crucible semi-final, but is coming in as the standout player of the campaign having won three ranking events.
The pair have met once before in Sheffield, with Selby prevailing 13-7 in the last 16 in 2021 on his way to lifting a fourth World Championship title.
‘Obviously Mark’s an incredible player and probably had the best season out of all of us,’ said Selby of Allen. ‘He’s won three tournaments and lost in a final as well.
‘He’s only showing what we all knew he should have been doing a few years ago, but now he’s doing it more consistently.
‘It’s going to be a tough game and I’m really looking forward to the one-table set-up again.’
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