Mark Selby storms past John Higgins to reach World Snooker Championship semi-finals for an eighth time

Mark Selby produced a vintage performance to beat John Higgins 13-7 in the battle of the four-time world champions.

In a match billed as one for snooker purists, Selby outclassed Higgins in the safety department to be on the front foot for the majority of the match.

Higgins and Selby were locked at 4-4 after the first session, but Selby won five of the six frames played on Wednesday afternoon to take a 9-5 lead going into the evening.

Only 14 frames were played prior to the final session, such was the length of several frames, and the last of which saw Selby make his 100th century at the Crucible to become just the fourth player to hit triple figures at the World Championship – only Ronnie O’Sullivan, Higgins and Stephen Hendry have more.

Selby stamped his authority with a terrific pot on a red to the bottom left pocked on his way to a break of 64 in the first frame of the evening, before Higgins pulled one back with the scores now at 10-6.

The Jester from Leicester came out on top in another cagey battle and produced a 91 to take a comfortable 12-6 lead going into the mid-session interval.

Selby unexpectedly missed a red to the top left pocket which enabled Higgins to make a delightful 102 to pull a frame back.

Higgins surprisingly played for a tougher red early in the 20th frame and it went wrong as it did not drop in the pocket, so Selby, in typical style, made him pay to seal the match and a place in the Crucible semi-finals for an eighth time.

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