John Higgins Builds 13-11 Lead Over Shaun Murphy In World Snooker Championship Semi-Final

John Higgins carried a slender lead over Shaun Murphy into the weekend of their World Snooker Championship semi-final at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre, with the match poised at 8-8 before Friday night’s session swung again in Higgins’ favour.

“John Higgins opened a slender 13-11 lead over Shaun Murphy heading into the final session of their World Championship semifinal at the Crucible Theatre”

BBC

The BBC reported that Higgins “opened a slender 13-11 lead over Shaun Murphy heading into the final session” and said the concluding chapter of their best-of-33 contest would begin on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. BST.

BBC

The Sun described the same semi-final as “a thriller,” saying Higgins went into the weekend “with a lead over Shaun Murphy” and was “13-11 up after breaks of 70 and 101 in the last two frames.”

The Independent similarly put Higgins ahead at 13-11, writing that he was “particularly impressive in this morning’s exchanges” and that his “closing break of 101 restored his two-frame advantage.”

Flashscore’s live account added that the match resumed at 4-4, with Higgins taking the first frame of the day with a break of 72, Murphy responding with an 88, and Higgins then regaining control with a break of 86.

The Sun also noted that the session ended with Higgins securing a “first CENTURY of this semi final with a terrific 101,” before a missed black brought the session to a close.

Across the accounts, the narrative of the semi-final is consistent: Higgins’ late-session scoring pushed him ahead, while Murphy fought back to keep the contest alive heading into the final session.

The sources portray Higgins’ advantage as something he built through momentum and response, rather than a single runaway stretch.

The BBC said that after resuming at 8-8, Murphy struck first with “a break of 60 to move into the lead for the first time since the end of the seventh frame,” only for Higgins to “immediately responded with breaks of 44 and 55.”

Daily Express

It added that Higgins then “pinched the following frame after laying a snooker on the brown,” and that Murphy’s “wonderful break of 82” ensured the players “could not be separated at the mid-session interval.”

The Independent described the morning exchanges as Higgins opening up a two-frame advantage with “breaks of 72, 57 and 86,” before Murphy rallied to bring the scores back to “8-8 in their best-of-33 encounter.”

Flashscore’s timeline gave a frame-by-frame flavour, saying Murphy won a “scrappy 15th frame” to draw level after Higgins missed a tricky red with the rest down the left cushion.

The Sun’s live narrative also highlighted Higgins’ tactical variety, saying “That’s the last couple of breaks that Higgins has tried something different,” and describing how he “fire[d] in a stunning long red into the right corner pocket.”

In the same account, Stephen Hendry’s assessment was quoted as “It’s what John Higgins has done in every match this championship - he’s got better as each match has gone on and played his best snooker near the end of the match.”

While Higgins and Murphy fought for the lead in their semi-final, the other last-four match between Wu Yize and Mark Allen was defined by unusual interruptions and extended frames.

“The match at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre resumed at 4-4, with four-time world champion Higgins - 51 on May 18th - taking the first frame of the day with a break of 72”

Flashscore

The Guardian reported that Wu “took control of the world championship semi-final against Mark Allen as he reeled off the closing four frames to open up a 6-2 lead,” and it traced the momentum to a Thursday evening disruption caused by “a power outage at the Crucible.”

It described how “the BBC’s TV and online broadcast went off air and screens above the table in the venue also showed no signal,” and quoted the World Snooker Tour’s update on X: “Broadcast has been paused at the Halo World Championship due to a technical issue, we are working towards resolving this.”

After about 15 minutes, the players returned and finished the final frame before the mid-session interval, and the Guardian said Wu had earlier made a “well-crafted 77” and benefited from a double in the opening frame.

The Independent and Sun both emphasised the longest frame in Crucible history, with the Independent saying the epic encounter “lasted for more than 100 minutes” and the Sun stating Wu Yize “won the longest Crucible frame in history as he managed to hold off a gritty Mark Allen fightback over 100 MINUTES.”

The Independent added that the logjam involved “eight reds and the black” stuck over the right corner pocket, and it said the stalemate lasted “for around 55 minutes.”

The Sun’s live account similarly called the episode “a 31-minute sequence where EIGHT reds were nestled around the black on the far cushion,” and it quoted Steve Davis blasting the referee for not acting sooner: “That was an embarrassment to snooker.”

The semi-final coverage repeatedly returned to commentary from named snooker figures and broadcasters, with multiple voices framing Higgins’ performance and the officiating in the other match.

The BBC’s analysis section quoted Stephen Hendry on BBC Two saying, “It’s what John Higgins has done in every match this championship - he’s got better as each match has gone on and played his best snooker near the end of the match.”

The Guardian

The same BBC report also quoted former World Championship semifinalist Joe Perry: “That’s the best John Higgins has looked in this semifinal. Since the interval that’s breaks of 63, 70 and a century - clinical, one-frame snooker, that’s what you want at this stage of the match.”

The Sun’s live blog carried Hendry’s quote as well, stating, “It’s what John Higgins has done in every match this championship. “He’s got better as each match has gone on and played his best snooker near the end of the match.””

In the Wu-Allen semi-final, the Sun quoted Steve Davis criticising the referee, saying, “That was an embarrassment to snooker,” after describing the longest frame’s farcical sequence.

The Independent added its own Hendry praise, quoting him as saying, “He always finds another gear, it’s what he’s always done.”

It also described Dennis Taylor’s reaction to crowd behaviour, quoting him: “Get him out of the Crucible. We don’t need that in this game.”

As the semi-finals move toward their closing sessions, the sources lay out the schedule and the stakes for who reaches the final.

“John Higgins leads Shaun Murphy 13-11 in their enthralling World Snooker Championship semi-final at the Crucible Theatre after a tight first three sessions”

The Independent

The BBC said the concluding chapter of Higgins and Murphy’s best-of-33 contest “will begin on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. BST,” and it added that the winner would play either “China's Wu Yize or Northern Ireland's Mark Allen in the final.”

The Independent

The Sun provided a broader “Semi final Saturday schedule,” listing “Mark Allen vs Wu Yize - Sat 02 May – 10:00” and “Shaun Murphy vs John Higgins - Sat 02 May – 14:30,” while also stating “The world championship semi finals conclude tomorrow.”

It also gave broadcast details, saying “Live stream: BBC iPlayer / HBO Max” and “TV channels: BBC One / Two / Four / TNT Sports,” and it framed the next day as the point “as we get to find out our 2026 finalists.”

The Independent likewise said the pair would “finish their battle on Saturday,” after Higgins’ 13-11 lead, and it described the other semi-final as “locked at 7-7 with two sessions to play.”

Flashscore’s account, meanwhile, described Wu Yize as “6-2 ahead against Northern Ireland's Mark Allen heading into Friday's second session,” and it said the clash “resumes at 20:00 CET Friday” with “another eight frames to be played.”

Taken together, the next steps are clear in the reporting: Higgins and Murphy must complete their best-of-33 semi-final, while Wu and Allen must play out their own sessions after the longest frame and the technical interruption.