Thursday 2 April 2015 19:22, UK
John Higgins edged out Judd Trump 5-4 to move into the quarter-finals of the China Open, where he will face home favourite and defending champion Ding Junhui.
The veteran Scot recovered from losing the opening frame to move 4-2 ahead, but both players were struggling for rhythm in Beijing.
Trump narrowed the gap and a break of 68 helped the UK Championship finalist take the match to a decider, where Higgins prevailed, after overturning a 59-point deficit.
His reward will be a clash with world No 4 Ding, who dispatched two-time world champion Mark Williams 5-2.
The Chinese player took the initiative in the opening frame with a 68 and from then on never looked back, winning the last two frames with Williams failing to pot a single ball.
World champion Mark Selby was also a 5-2 winner over David Gilbert in a low-quality clash and the world No 1 will next face Robert Milkins, who thrashed Michael White 5-1, in a match which included four breaks over 50.
Masters champion Shaun Murphy was in fine form against Jamie Jones, whose late rally counted for nothing in a 5-3 defeat.
After losing the opening frame, Murphy bounced back and breaks of 67, 143 and 80 helped him move 4-1 ahead, and although Jones came within one frame of levelling, the world No 8 prevailed.
Murphy will play Kurt Maflin in the last eight after the English-Norwegian player cruised to a 5-1 victory over Robin Hull.
Breaks of 76, 87, 51 and 79 helped Barry Hawkins to a 5-3 triumph over Stephen Maguire and a clash with Gary Wilson, a convincing 5-1 winner over Dechawat Poomjaeng.
