Higgins edges Murphy 13-11 to secure semi-final lead at World Snooker Championship
Century break seals decisive frame as Higgins overcomes Murphy's mid-session surge in best-of-33 encounter
John Higgins has established a slender 13-11 advantage over Shaun Murphy ahead of the final session of their World Snooker Championship semi-final at the Crucible Theatre. The four-time world champion, who turns 51 later this month, secured the lead with a century break in the deciding frame of the evening after being held back by Murphy's earlier scoring runs.
The match resumed at 8-8 before Murphy struck the first blow of the session with a break of 60 to take the lead for the first time since the seventh frame. He followed this with an 82 to level the session at 12-12 at the mid-session interval, preventing Higgins from extending his overnight advantage.
Higgins responded immediately to the pressure, compiling breaks of 44 and 55 before winning the subsequent frame after snookering Murphy on the brown. The players then traded the next two frames, with Higgins scoring 63 and Murphy matching it with a century from Higgins' break-off shot, leaving the session poised to end at 12-12.
In the final frame of the evening, Higgins found an extra gear to secure the victory. He crafted a run of 70 before signing off with a superb 101 to win the frame and take the 13-11 lead. This century marked his first of the tournament and represented a significant shift in momentum for the Scot.
Former champion Stephen Hendry noted Higgins' tendency to improve as matches progress, observing that the player plays his best snooker near the end of the contest. Joe Perry described Higgins' recent performance as clinical, highlighting the importance of the breaks made in the business end of the match.
The best-of-33 encounter will resume on Saturday at 14:30 BST. The winner is set to face either Wu Yize or Mark Allen in the final, continuing the high-stakes drama of the 2026 World Snooker Championship.
