European Masters snooker 2023 LIVE – John Higgins takes on Kyren Wilson with Judd Trump also in action

No frame-winning hit this time as a tricky red down table to yellow pocket stays on deck. Frame well in the balance with seven reds left up.

Higgins sees a long red rattle in the top jaws, but Kyren can’t cash in as a tricky red from the side cush fails to drop after easing to 32. One loose positional shot is so damaging. Higgins given scope to score again in the fourth frame.

Can’t dislodge the final red near pink to keep hopes alive of another century, but 74 does the job every day of the week. Higgins moves 2-1 clear. One more frame before the mid-session.

Higgins is looking very, very good here. Just enjoying his table time and scoring heavily when his opponent misses. Has got the white ball on a piece of string at the moment. In goes the blue he needs to leave Wilson needing snookers. Going to be a 2-1 lead for the Wishaw man.

Wilson trying to force a red into a top bag with a bit of side. Red stays up. Enjoying a massive fluke earlier in the frame on the blue, but not making the most of his good fortune as Higgins returns to the table.

Another frame for Trump in the race to five as he moves two clear of Ashley Carty.

A lovely clearance of 105 from Higgins delights the crowd as Wilson is forced to ponder missing red with rest earlier in the frame. A costly error. This quarter-final is all level at 1-1.

Looking like we are heading 1-1 in this match. Higgins finding the level of certainty that saw him overcome Shaun Murphy 5-2 last night. Stroking that white ball with real authority.

Neither man truly settled yet as Wilson can’t slot a fairly routine red using the rest after Higgins misses black off the spot. A rapid reprieve for the Scotsman.

Couple of misses early on in this second frame before Higgins rams a red down a red centre bag. Decent pot that. Chance to get moving for the four-time world champion. His 135th ranking event quarter-final today.

Wilson cleans up the table with Higgins knowing they could have been his for the taking. All done now. A 1-0 lead for a man dubbed ‘The Warrior’.

Glorious chance of the steal, but Higgins misses a tricky red along the top cushion, the penultimate red of the frame. Was obvious chance for a huge steal, but not taken and Wilson will lead 1-0 from a taut opening frame.

Wilson set to seal the deal in this first frame after Higgins misses an easy pot on red to right middle. Caught the object ball too thick, but Wilson then misses a very routine red seconds later. 55 the difference, 59 left up. Frame not yet done.

The 2019 world champion takes the first frame of his quarter-final. Judd Trump chasing a treble of European Masters title victories this week.

Wilson slots yellow to come back down the table for reds, but is not on an easy red to keep the break going. Just a safety shot coming up, so no one-visit hit from Wilson in the opening frame. Wilson with a dart at a long red seconds later, but not near the potting angle.

Has been a very smart start from Kyren as he plunges the white into the reds off the blue, and enjoys a nice run of the balls to remain on the next red. Motoring along very nicely so far in this break.

Boys are on the baize. Large crowd in Nuremberg with the roomy venue down to a two-table set-up for the quarter-finals. Early safety error by Higgins gives Wilson the chance to put his foot down early on.

Kyren Wilson is defending the European Masters title he won with a 9-3 final victory over Barry Hawkins last year, but John Higgins looks in peak form following his 5-2 victory over Shaun Murphy on Thursday evening that saw him hit two centuries.

He should also be buoyed by the memory of his 13-2 win over Wilson in the World Championship last 16 in April.

Despite not making the trip to Germany, Ronnie O’Sullivan will stay at the top of the rankings after Barry Hawkins completed a 5-4 win over world champion Luca Brecel earlier on Friday that saw him compile 133 in the penultimate frame.

Brecel needed to reach the last four to topple O’Sullivan, but the 2013 Crucible finalist Hawkins won the final two frames to advance to a meeting with Noppon Saengkham in the quarter-finals on Friday night. Noppon edged Jimmy Robertson by the same scoreline.

Elsewhere, Mark Selby set up a clash with Lyu Haotian courtesy of a 5-2 win over Ashley Hugill in the last 16 as Lyu eased pased David Gilbert 5-1.

• Lyu Haotian 5-1 David Gilbert
• Ashley Hugill 2-5 Mark Selby
• Noppon Saengkham 5-4 Jimmy Robertson
• Barry Hawkins 5-4 Luca Brecel

• Kyren Wilson v John Higgins
• Judd Trump v Ashley Carty

• Lyu Haotian v Mark Selby
• Noppon Saengkham v Barry Hawkins

Day three of the European Masters saw the conclusion of the last-32 stage, as well as matches in the round of 16. Judd Trump, Kyren Wilson, John Higgins and Ashley Carty were the four players who booked their spots in the quarter-finals in Nuremberg.

Higgins – looking to win his first ranking event since 2021 – faced Shaun Murphy in the last 16. A superb 55-2 winning performance saw Higgins progress to the next round, setting up a tie against Wilson.

Wilson himself had to dispatch Wales’ Duane Jones before the quarters. He did so with a more than comfortable 5-0 whitewashing.

Trump matched Wilson’s 5-0 victory, brushing aside Ben Woollaston. The Bristolian faces Carty in their quarter-final.

In a shock result, Carty came out as a 5-3 victor against Ricky Walden in the biggest surprise of the round of 16.