Snooker results: John Higgins beats Judd Trump 5-4 at Hong Kong Masters

Higgins' previous success over Trump came at the Championship League way back in March 2019 and defeat at the World Championship later that season was one of a number of high-profile reverses the Scot has suffered at the hands of his old rival since.

At last it was Higgins' day as he finished the job in tremendous style having seen Trump cut back his early lead and put himself on the cusp of victory, before Higgins eventually landed the knockout blow.

Both men played their part as the match got off to a rousing start, the pair trading early centuries as Higgins inched 2-1 in front, a further run of 68 extending the 47-year-old's lead to 3-1 in the race to five.

Trump responded with another century – this time a brilliant hand of 120 – and when he won the next two frames, he had turned the game on its head and moved within a frame of the last four.

There was still another twist in store, though, and after Trump failed to punish Higgins for what could have easily proved a costly foul on the black, Higgins kept his cool to put together a break of 70 and force a deciding frame.

It was a frame that Higgins dominated from the outset and despite breaking down on 58 when failing to pot a tricky double, he was back to the table moments later to seal a significant win and set up a semi-final with Marco Fu.

Higgins told World Snooker Tour: "I'm delighted to win. It was a good match. I've lost the last eight or nine times against Judd, it's good to know that you can still beat someone as good as him. And it's good to know that you can do it under the pressure.

"It was a brilliant atmosphere to play snooker in. It will be a great occasion against Marco on Saturday, I can't wait. Marco has been affected more than anybody (by Covid), but we all know how great a player he is and he proved that beating Mark Selby."

Fu special floors Selby

Marco Fu rolled back the years with a brilliant 5-2 defeat of Mark Selby to reach the last four.

Fu – winner of three ranking events in what has been an illustrious career – has barely been sighted on the table in more recent years, severe eye problems plaguing the 44-year-old before the Covid-19 pandemic scuppered any hopes of a meaningful comeback.

Nevertheless, Hong Kong's biggest snooker star produced a fine display in front of his own fans for the tournament curtain-raiser, racing out of the blocks and into a 2-0 lead thanks to breaks of 52 and 65.

Selby responded by winning a hard-fought third frame but was unable to match the strong form he had found at the British Open only last week, falling 3-1 behind as Fu dominated frame four.

A terrific century in the following frame helped the four-time world champion reduce his arrears once more, but that would be his last moment of cheer as Fu marched into the last four with more assured play.

Selby could only muster a single pot in frame six before Fu went on to close out the match in style, a break of 64 confirming a victory that might just kickstart a career that had appeared all but over a couple of years ago.

Fu told World Snooker Tour: "Over the last few years I’ve suffered a lot on the snooker side. After the eye surgery, things weren’t the same and I didn’t play any snooker at all during the pandemic.

"These kind of wins mean a lot to me. It proves I can still do it in front of this many people against one of the best players in the world. I still have it somewhere in myself. Hopefully it gives me a good platform to play even better for the rest of the season.

"I feared the worst at one point. I thought after the eye surgery that the end of my career was approaching. I can’t believe that I’m back playing again. I am delighted to be back playing to a decent standard.

"It was very very special this afternoon. To a lot of people this is an invitational event, but to me it is more than that. Hong Kong’s snooker fans deserve the chance to see all of the best players coming to play here in a top event."