Higgins Fights Back to Level Murphy at 4-4 as Wu Dominates Allen in Disrupted Crucible Semi-Finals
Higgins Recovers from 3-1 Deficit to Share Opening Session
John Higgins produced one of the more gritty recoveries of this year's World Championship to claw back from 3-1 down and finish level with Shaun Murphy at 4-4 after the opening session of their best-of-33 semi-final at the Crucible Theatre on Thursday afternoon. The four-time world champion — who turns 51 in May and is the oldest semi-finalist at the Crucible since Ray Reardon in 1985 — was visibly carrying the fatigue of a late-night quarter-final victory over Neil Robertson, but drew upon the matchplay resilience that has defined his career across three decades at the top of the sport.
Murphy, the 2005 world champion and current world number eight, looked well-placed to build a commanding overnight lead when he compiled runs of 68, 69 and a century to reach the mid-session interval at 3-1 ahead. At that stage, a cushion of two or three frames by close of play appeared the most likely outcome. However, the Englishman's control fractured in the second half of the session, with a succession of loose shots handing Higgins the openings he needed. The Scot took two scrappy frames to restore parity at 3-3, before closing the session in style — contributing a break of 40 and a half-century in the eighth frame — to ensure that, for the first time in the 2026 tournament, he did not end an opening session behind on the scoreboard.
Higgins's highest break across the session was a modest 50, reflecting an afternoon during which errors were frequent on both sides of the table. He was still at the Crucible after midnight on Wednesday following his quarter-final win over Robertson, and the fatigue showed in a number of missed pots that would ordinarily be routine at this level. That he still managed to level the match by frame eight speaks to the competitive instincts that have carried him to four world titles. The match resumes on Friday morning at 10:00 BST.
Wu Opens 6-2 Lead Over Allen Despite Power Outage Disruption
Thursday evening's session between Wu Yize and Mark Allen was interrupted by a power outage at the Crucible Theatre that halted television coverage for approximately 15 minutes. The incident struck midway through the third frame of the match. Allen had already compiled a break of 91 to complete that frame when both players were required to vacate the auditorium briefly while the issue was resolved. The disruption appeared to have little lasting effect on Wu, who had already settled into the kind of commanding rhythm that will concern Allen and the rest of the draw.
The 22-year-old Chinese potter — making his debut appearance at the single-table stage of the World Championship — displayed few signs of nerves on the biggest occasion of his career to date, opening the session with breaks of 77 and 55 before Allen threatened a century of his own in reply. Wu ultimately closed the session with a 6-2 advantage, a lead that marks him out as a strong favourite to reach his first world final. His ability to compose himself swiftly after the power disruption and sustain high-quality break-building throughout the evening underlines why he has been among the most discussed emerging talents on the professional circuit.
Historical Context and What to Watch on Friday
Higgins's presence in the semi-finals at 50 years of age carries considerable historical weight. Reardon's run to the last four in 1985 — at the age of 52 — remains the benchmark for veteran longevity at the Crucible, but Higgins is now operating in territory that very few players in the sport's history have reached. His 100th match at the World Championship, recorded in Thursday's session against Murphy, is itself a statistical landmark that underscores his extraordinary career consistency at snooker's most prestigious venue (match records sourced from CueTracker).
Murphy, for his part, will be encouraged that his century in the opening session demonstrated he retains the potting quality to trouble Higgins across a lengthy match. With 25 frames remaining in their semi-final, a 4-4 split represents an entirely open contest. Meanwhile, Wu's 6-2 lead over Allen gives the young Chinese player a substantial buffer heading into Friday. Allen, who has reached the semi-finals on multiple occasions without converting into a final appearance, will need a significant shift in momentum to make this a contest. Both matches continue on Friday from 10:00 BST, with evening sessions scheduled to follow.
