Higgins levels at 4-4 with Murphy in World Championship semi-final opener

John Higgins refused to let Shaun Murphy break clear in the opening session of their World Championship semi-final, fighting back to level at 4-4 and turn the Crucible contest into a test of nerve as much as quality. The first session on Thursday afternoon at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre ended with nothing between a four-time champion and a former champion after eight frames in the best-of-33 last-four clash.

That parity carried added weight because Higgins, now 50 and due to turn 51 on May 18, became the oldest World Championship semi-finalist since Ray Reardon in 1985. He arrived here after a 13-10 quarter-final win over 2010 champion Neil Robertson, while Murphy earned his place by ending defending champion Zhao Xintong’s run by the same scoreline. The opening exchanges suggested that neither player was willing to yield the initiative for long, and Higgins’ response kept the match balanced heading into the restart on Friday.

The semi-final also revived one of the modern game’s most familiar championship pairings. Higgins and Murphy met in the 2009 World Championship final, when Higgins won 18-9, and the Scot again held the edge in the rivalry overall, leading their career head-to-head 16-13 before this match began. Murphy, world champion in 2005 and now into his sixth Crucible semi-final, came to Sheffield chasing a second title and the chance to turn past experience into a deeper run.

For Higgins, drawing level mattered beyond the scoreboard. It showed that he could absorb Murphy’s early pressure and keep the match on his terms, rather than allowing a fast start to become a one-way session. In a championship staged over 33 frames, that kind of adjustment can be as important as any single frame, particularly when both men know how quickly the Crucible can swing.

The result left the semi-final finely poised, with the remainder to be played before the championship concludes on May 4. The other last-four match, between Mark Allen and Wu Yize, underlines the strength of the field, but Higgins against Murphy still carries the sharpest blend of history, experience and unfinished business.