Selby overcame an epic encounter with Ding Junhui to reach the final, where he is attempting to win back-to-back titles, and his third overall. Higgins saw off Barry Hawkins with far more ease in his semi-final and is looking to join Ronnie O’Sullivan on five titles.
Stick here for frame-by-frame updates as the match progresses, as well as the latest video clips from the Crucible.
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Latest score: Selby 7-10 Higgins
Scoring: 76-34 (76), 7-50, 121-8 (62, 58), 0-141 (141), 40-99 (63), 1-126 (95), 54-59 (58), 68-33, 86-0 (86), 8-60, 44-74, 69-22, 1-68, 0-76 (76), 81-9 (81), 121-12 (121)
Centuries: Two
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Frame 17: Oh he’s back isn’t it he? Selby is looking better and better as he comes back to secure his third frame in a row. It means that he has won the evening session and only trails 10-7. This is a massive performance from Selby and although he trails that will feel like a victory in some ways and you can see it in his face as he clenches his fast as he walks off. Higgins is a frustrated figure, he needs to regroup ahead of tomorrow.
Frame 16: Higgins gets started with another long red but not for the first time he can’t quite gets a run together and it’s safety time. Selby gets a red and despite an unfavourable kiss he still pots the blue. All of a sudden that spring is back in his step. And there’s his first century of the final as he knocks in a 121. Can he get it back to 10-7 going into tomorrow?
Frame 15: Mark Selby doesn’t get rattled, it’s a not word or feeling he understands. But right now he is getting close to it as he misses some easy pots and gets unlucky with some running. However perhaps his luck is about to turn as Higgins misses a pink and in the process opens the pack. From there Selby cleans up and he ends with a break of 81. Selby isn’t rattled, he might be launching a comeback.
Frame 14: Higgins comes to the table and looks in good form as he starts to rack up the points. There’s a moment of amusement as someone in the audience is told off for eating some crisps. Moments later Higgins opens the pack with the most astonishing of shots but it seems to work for him. He gets a break of 76 to move six clear.
Frame 13: Higgins starts the 13th with a long red but Selby gets on the board as well. However then Higgins knocks in 40 points before extending that lead even further. Selby stays in his seat and we go back to 9-4. This means that Higgins will have a lead overnight, the question now is how big will that lead be?
Frame 12: Oh how Selby needed that one. This frame swings back and forth as first Selby breaks to 26 but misses a red that Higgins pots. However just when it seems as if Higgins is taking control he misses the pink and Selby is back in the balls. Despite not being able to see out the frame in one go Selby gets back to make sure the gap is four rather than six going into the interval.
Frame 11: Higgins break off with 27 but he can’t find another red and has to play a safety. Another battle ensues before Higgins can’t leave the cue ball behind the blue which opens things up for Selby, who gets a break of 43 before he fails to open the cluster of reds on the side cushion. Higgins gets to one point behind but he too has to play another safety. Selby takes a long red but he under-hits it when trying to place the white behind the green and fouls. Off the free ball Selby hits the red but Higgins sinks it afterwards and cleaned up very well.
Frame 10: It’s a poor break from Selby and Higgins capitalises with a fine cut into the corner. A short break is followed by a bit of luck for Higgins as Selby’s safety caught the green and left a red on. Higgins kept up his fine form from distance sinking the red but elects to take the safety on instead. The pair trade safety’s for a while before they both missed tricky, but gettable reds. A mistake from Selby when trying to hide the cue ball allows Higgins to extend his lead but an ambitious double didn’t come off. A tense fight from Selby to stay in the frame ends when he accidentally pots the white when needing snookers.
Frame 9: Huge frame for Selby in the first one after the interval. A period of over 11 minutes without a pot ends as Higgins makes a mistake and leads Selby a red to the right middle. He pots and from then onwards is magnificent as he sinks a series of impressive pots. That will do his confidence a world of good and send a bit of a reminder to Higgins. His positional play with the white to move the reds off cushions in particular was very good.
Frame 8: That’s massive for Higgins. A break of 49 sees Higgins build a lead of 61-23 but he misses a crucial red that would have sealed the frame. The pair then decide to do battle in a safety battle of epic proportions as Selby fights his way back into the frame. The defending champion seeks a truly sensational red but it isn’t enough for him and eventually Higgins can clean up and extend his lead.
Frame 7: How on earth has Selby not win this frame? Both players produce bad misses before Selby builds up a good lead. He’s 52-1 ahead when he misses a red. Higgins comes back to the table and manages to get a break of 58, his fourth half-century in a row, and he’s now pushed up to three ahead. His other frames were down to his brilliance but Selby has to be kicking himself that he hasn’t closed the gap to one. Higgins will now definitely lead going into the evening session.
Frame 6: It takes a while to get going in the sixth frame as the pair do battle in an early safety battle, during which Selby made an early mistake in missing a red as he tried to get the faintest of touches on it. Eventually Higgins was able to get in amongst the balls and he notches his third successive half-century break with this one ending on 95.
Frame 5: Higgins looks to have control of the frame following a break of 63 but he lets Selby back in when he misses a red. With the reds on the side cushion Selby was in a tricky position and he was unable to take advantage. Higgins cleaned up and then after snookering Selby on the final red cleared up the remainder of the ball to take the lead for the first time.
Frame 4: Higgins is in complete control during this frame as he notches the first century of the match. Things kicked off with a sensational long red and from there he didn’t let up at all. Having seen some mistakes from both players so far this was the first sign that a real classic might be emerging. Higgins knows that he can’t let Selby get away from him, and if he keeps making breaks like that he should have no problems.
Frame 3: There was an interesting moment just before the start of the frame where Higgins and Selby seemed to be deep in conversation about something. Maybe they aren’t happy with the table, as there’s mistakes apiece at the start of the third. Selby mounts a break of 62, though, before missing frame ball. Higgins responds immediately with a sloppy miss on a red. We are seeing the human side of these two greats at the moment – the Crucible does funny things to people… A missed double from Selby puts Higgins back in, and when the Scot fails to clear up, another double goes down this time for Selby, who rattles in a 58 to take the frame.
Frame 2: Again it’s Higgins who fires the first salvo but he gets a big kick on the black and is limited to a break of five, with the reds pretty tightly packed in the centre. Selby can’t punish him as a thin cut leaves a red over the pocket and Higgins returns with a break of 37. Selby has an awkward shot at 42-1 down but after getting his attempted safety all wrong, he benefits from a huge fluke as the white touches a red into the centre pocket. Both men exchange misses as Selby struggles to seven in a scrappy frame, but Higgins takes it as Selby gives him the nod.
Frame 1: Higgins takes on a tricky red and pots it for the first point on the board and his first visit to the table gives him a break of 34. Selby took the chance afforded to him as he responded with 76 before seeing the brown rattle the jaws of the pocket. A confident start from the number one.
The World Championship final is best of 35 frames – first to 18. Sunday’s evening session starts at 7pm, with the Monday sessions coming at 2pm and 7pm.
