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 now face the winner of Judd Trump and Mark Allen, who meet later on Thursday evening.

• This report will update later