SHEFFIELD (England), May 1: Matthew Stevens moved into the semifinals of the World Snooker Championship with an impressive 13-7 win over 1998 champion John Higgins Wednesday.

Leading 10-6 overnight, Stevens sealed victory with breaks of 71, 72 and 80 to avenge his semifinal defeat against Higgins in last year’s tournament.

Stevens, a beaten finalist two years ago, has yet to win a ranking event.

“I have been close to the big ones and if you’re going to win one it’s got to be the world,” he said.

Higgins was left to reflect on a missed red that he felt was the turning point in the match.

“I missed an important red when it was 4-4 and didn’t get a look at the table until it was 8-4. You can’t do anything when somebody plays that well,” he said.

The two players were locked at 4-4 at the end of the opening session Tuesday, but 24-year-old Welshman Stevens won six of the eight frames in the evening to open up a four-frame lead including the 145 in frame 12.

The match between seven-times champion Stephen Hendry and Ken Doherty is evenly poised at 8-8.

Resuming at 4-4 from the first session, Hendry seized control by winning the opening four frames of the evening.

But Doherty won frame 13 with a break of 120 and also claimed the next three to draw level in a keenly contested tie.

Scotland’s Hendry was on course to compile a maximum 147 break in the eighth frame, but a terrible ‘kick’ on the 15th black wrecked his chances.

In frame six, Hendry had posted a break of 141 — the highest of the tournament so far.

Defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan and Stephen Lee are tied at 4-4 at the end of the opening session in their quarter-final.

O’Sullivan raced to a 4-1 lead with breaks of 90, 54 and 63. But Lee fought back to take the last three frames of the session, compiling a 119 break in the penultimate one.

Peter Ebdon had a 6-2 lead over Anthony Hamilton, compiling breaks of 108, 94, 83 and 80 along the way.

LATEST RESULT AND SCORES (BEST OF 25 FRAMES):