SHANGHAI, March 2: Ronnie O’Sullivan and Ken Doherty have both crashed out of the China Open but former world champion John Higgins survived a scare to reach the last four.

Higgins had to come from 4-3 down to defeat Darren Morgan 5-4. The 26-year-old Scot, who won the Champions Cup, Scottish Masters and British Open at the start of the season, was due to face world number one Mark Williams in semifinal.

Higgins admitted he owed his victory more to Morgan suffering from stage fright than his own polished play.

Wales’ Morgan squandered numerous chances — he led 3-1 at the interval and had a golden opportunity to go 4-2 up until he missed a straightforward pink at the climax to the sixth frame.

Williams completed a brilliant 120 in the last frame to edge out Stephen Lee 5-4 in the earlier hours of Saturday.

Teenage giant-killer Mark Selby accounted for O’Sullivan 5-3, putting paid to the world champion’s hopes of winning the same ranking event three years in a row, something only Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry have achieved at the world championship.

The 18-year-old Selby hammered Hendry 5-1 in the last 16. hammering of Hendry in the last 16.

Results

Quarterfinals: M. Selby (Eng) bt R. O’Sullivan (Eng) 5-3; A. Hamilton (Eng) bt K. Doherty (Irl) 5-4; J. Higgins (Scotland) bt D. Morgan (Wales) 5-4; M Williams (Wales) bt S Lee (England) 5-4.

Semifinals: Selby vs Hamilton; Higgins vs Williams.—AFP