Mark Selby will face John Higgins his place in the China Championship final on Sunday after ending the giant-killing run of Zhao Xintong.
The 21-year-old from China had knocked out Mark Williams and Barry Hawkins en route to his first ranking semi final and despite a shaky start, he fought back from 4-1 down to draw level at 4-4.
However, world number one Selby dug deep and used his experience to win the last two frames and keep alive his chances of a 15th career ranking title in his 24th final and the top prize of £150,000.
The shot of the match was a super three ball plant from Selby, which you can view below.
🔥 BIG shot from @markjesterselby! 🔥#ChinaChampionship pic.twitter.com/Fz9KW4deev
— World Snooker (@WorldSnooker) September 29, 2018
Breaks of 90 and 82 helped Selby build a 4-1 lead, with Zhao making a 110 in getting back to 4-4, but the Leicester cueman crucially took a scrappy ninth frame then sealed victory in the next with a run of 63.
Selby told www.worldsnooker.com: "I played well for most of the match, then I missed a red to a centre pocket at 4-1 and the match turned. Zhao put me under pressure and played some good safety.
"John Higgins is a phenomenal player so it will be a very tough final. I will just enjoy it and try my hardest."
Sunday's final will be a repeat of the World Championship finals of 2007, which was won by Higgins, and 2017, which was won by Selby.
Higgins booked his place in the final by beating Lyu Haotian 6-3 in Guangzhou.
The 43-year-old from Scotland will be playing in the 49th ranking final of his career and aiming for his 31st title. His most recent came at the Welsh Open in March.
Higgins has been far from his best this week and has failed to make a century in the tournament so far but his battling qualities were once again superior to his opponent.
The world number four built a 5-1 lead today with top breaks of 57, 57 and 59 while China’s 20-year-old Lyu, who had hoped to reach his first ranking final, pulled two frames back before Higgins sealed the result with a run of 62 in the ninth.
Higgins said: "The conditions today were beautiful, having been difficult earlier in the week. That threw Lyu just a bit more than me, he was hitting everything thick because the table was so reactive.
“If Lyu had played today the same way he did in the quarter-finals I would have been in for a really tough game. But luckily for me he wasn’t at his best and I just picked up the pieces. I don’t know how I’m in the final but obviously I’m delighted.
"It looked as if it might go 5-4 at the end but I made a good break, that was the most pleasing thing of the match for me. If I play Mark Selby in the final then I’ll be a big under-dog, the way I’m playing."
Lyu said: "I missed some easy balls early on and struggled to get position throughout the match. I need to learn a lot from top players like Higgins because they stay in the match and turn it around when things are not going well."
