John Higgins to face Judd Trump in blockbuster European Masters semi-final, Mark Selby takes on Barry Hawkins

John Higgins defeated Kyren Wilson with some impressive scoring while Judd Trump had no problem getting past Ashley Carty in their respective European Masters quarter-finals.

Higgins and Trump will now meet in a Saturday semi-final showdown in Germany as the final beckons for one of the snooker greats.

Wilson started well when he took the first frame 110-27, helped by the first half-century break of the match. But Higgins hit back as he notched breaks of 105, 74 and 52 in the second, third and fourth frames respectively, before Wilson edged an impossibly tight fifth frame 65-64.

Higgins was back to winning ways in the sixth as he pulled two clear with a break of 60, only for Wilson to get back within one at 3-4 in their best-of-nine clash.

The experienced Scot then turned on the style as he made the highest break of the match, 118, to wrap things up.

In the other afternoon match-up, world No. 4 Trump made light work of Carty.

Carty had yet to reach the quarter-final stage of a competition and perhaps the pressure told, with his previous competition experience taking him only up to the last 32.

Trump won every frame, with the exception of the third going his opponent’s way.

The current Masters champion was not at his best, scoring heavily only in the first and fifth frames, with breaks of 68 and 113 respectively.

In the evening quarter-finals, Barry Hawkins and Mark Selby both completed 5-2 victories over Noppon Saengkham and Lyu Haotian respectively.

Hawkins raced into a 2-0 lead before Saengkham pulled level at the break but the Englishman booked his place in the last four with three consecutive frames to close out the match.

Selby lost the first frame against Haotian but reeled off three in a row to take a commanding lead at the mid-session interval.

Haotian pulled one back when the match resumed but Selby wouldn’t be denied, seeing out a comfortable victory.