John Higgins benefited from an outrageous fluke as he came from 5-3 down to beat world champion Zhao Xintong 6-5 on the final ball and reach the semi-finals of the Masters at Alexandra Palace.

Higgins made a horrible mess of a plant, only for one of the reds to fly into the opposite pocket and the cue ball to somehow land on the black, en route to squaring the match at 5-5. The 50-year-old Scot then took a tight decider, clearing the table from the final red to move one step closer to a third Masters title.

“I was so lucky,” he told the BBC afterwards. “It was criminal … It’s tough out there. I’m delighted and so proud I’m still doing it.”

Remarkably, it was the first match of the tournament not to finish 6-2, which was the scoreline in all eight first-round matches.

Higgins will next face the world No 1, Judd Trump, after he battled past Mark Allen for another 6-2 victory in Thursday’s late session.

After Allen came from behind to take the opening frame, Trump – who did not claim any silverware in 2025 – dug in to edge the next two before the Northern Irishman made a break of 76 to level things up at the mid-session interval.

The momentum, though, turned in the fifth frame when Allen looked set on 68 only to miss a red, which let Trump, a two-time Masters champion, back in for steal with a well-crafted half-century. Further breaks of 70 and then 49 put Trump on the verge of the semi-finals, before a run of 68 left Allen to bravely fight on needing snookers. Trump eventually closed out a hard-earned victory on the colours.