Welsh Open 2024: Gary Wilson makes 147 in thrilling win over John Higgins in semi-finals in Llandudno

Higgins went into the weekend as the hot favourite to win his first ranking title since 2021, but never recovered from a scoring blitz from the Scottish Open champion.

Wilson scored 368 unanswered points, as he raced into a 4-0 lead in the race to six.

Higgins took the fifth to raise hopes of a stirring fightback and made his opponent sweat by closing the gap to one, but Wilson held his nerve to set up a meeting with Martin O’Donnell in the final in Llandudno on Sunday.

Wilson set off at a rate of knots, and had the crowd in Llandudno thinking they would witness a maximum as he picked off 13 reds and 13 blacks in the opening frame. The 14th red was a tough pot, and it wiggled in the jaws of the left middle as he had to settle for 104.

The 104 was superb, but that proved to be a mere hors d’oeuvre as Wilson shook off the setback of missing the maximum by making the fifth of his career in the second.

The opening red was good, the flick on the black delightful and from there – in the words of Jimmy White in the Eurosport studio – it was “absolute perfection” as he picked off the 199th 147 in the history of professional snooker.

You could have forgiven outsiders for thinking it was darts being played at in Wales, as Wilson’s opening red in the third was greeted with boos – just as missed nine-darters are – as he landed on the pink instead of the black.

The boos did not stop Wilson, as he made 82 to race into a three-frame lead.

Wilson got in again in the fourth, but missed a simple red to break down on 35 – which ended his barrage of unanswered points at 368.

Higgins attempted to take the frame into the weeds in a bid to slow his opponent’s momentum, but it did not stem the tide as Wilson took a scrappy fourth.

Wilson’s run of 14 frames in a row at the Welsh Open came to an end in the fifth. He looked well set to extend that run, but missed a makeable pink and Higgins mopped up a break of 93 to get on the board.

A safety error from Higgins presented a chance to Wilson in the sixth and he showed no hangover from losing his first frame of the match as he crafted an excellent 89 to move within one frame of victory.

Higgins attempted to pot his way out of trouble in the seventh, but a long red did not drop and it presented a chance to Wilson to close out the match.

Wilson’s level dipped from the brilliance of the opening three frames, the cue-ball control was not exemplary and he broke down on a break of 55.

Higgins could write a book on winning frames from big deficits. He got going with a long red to the green pocket to set up a break of 69 to stay alive.

The eighth was a carbon copy of the previous frame, as Wilson looked well set to close out the match only to break down.

After losing position on 49, Wilson attempted an extravagant swerve to keep the break going. It missed by a distance and Higgins made him pay with a break of 66.

Higgins gave hope to his legion of fans by making 78 in the ninth to get within one frame of his opponent.

Wilson got in first in the seventh and the eighth, only to fluff his lines. A safety error from Higgins handed Wilson a chance in the 10th but he made 24 before breaking down. As in the eighth he went for a tough recovery pot – albeit not as difficult as the failed swerve – but the red failed to drop.

To Wilson’s relief he did not leave Higgins an easy starter. The Scot opened the pack with a safety, leaving Wilson with a tough tempter to left middle.

He knocked it in and with reds scattered around the table made a telling 73 to secure victory.

Wilson will return on Sunday knowing victory will give him a third Home Nations title, to go with his two Scottish Open crowns.