Mark Selby holds off John Higgins to make semi-finals of Champions of Champions event in Bolton

Mark Selby defeated John Higgins 6-4 of their group last on the Champion of Champions on Monday night time in Bolton.

Higgins reached the match with a 4-2 win over Hossein Vafaei, having creaked into gear with a century break within the successful body, a touch that he had rediscovered some respectable kind.

Selby, who forward of the match talked movingly in regards to the passing of his father 23 years in the past, is effectively off his finest to date this season, however as a former world No. 1 he couldn’t be counted out.

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He had made his solution to the group last with a 4-0 whitewash victory over Lee Walker.

Needing six frames for victory there was little room for error and it was the Englishman who bought off to the higher begin as he appeared to achieve Saturday’s motion.

A clearance of 140 was an impressive solution to kick off his involvement within the night.

An excellent lengthy pot within the second gave Higgins the prospect to construct a break of 57 earlier than he was left unrewarded as he tried to open up the remaining reds, however benefitted from an error from Selby throughout some security play to get again to the desk, and scrapped to a 72-35 leveller.

The third body kicked off with eight minutes of frustration, resulting in the pair agreeing to a re-rack. The restarted body ran for longer than half an hour because the pair battled with security play and an uncooperative desk till Higgins got here in at 58-45 following a Selby error, taking the body to go forward for the primary time within the night.

Higgins kicked off the subsequent body, the final earlier than the interval, with a three-ball plant, however Selby wouldn’t roll over and fought again to enter the break at 2-2.

Selby gained the opening body on the restart however Higgins then added a break of 141 – one higher than Selby’s first, and his highest of the season – to attract stage as soon as extra, solely to see the Leicester man retake the lead within the best-of-11 match-up.

A break of 64 from Higgins would see the scores stage once more at 4-4, however Selby’s105 break meant that his second century of the match had him a single body from making the weekend’s competitions.

Higgins put 45 on the board and allowed Selby to the desk, with a comparatively easy, if not straightforward, choice of reds across the black and he held his nerve to safe a primary win over Higgins in 4 years.