John Higgins overcame an upset stomach to beat Zhou Yuelong 5-4 at the Weide Cup World Open and equal Ronnie O'Sullivan's record for the most ranking event quarter-final appearances.
From 4-2 down, Higgins won the last three frames to reach the last eight in Yushan, where he will face Pang Junxu on Thursday. It will be his 146th ranking quarter-final appearance over a 33-year career, bringing him level with O'Sullivan, who also turned pro in 1992. Wishaw's Higgins, who turns 50 in May, is chasing a 32nd ranking title and first since the 2021 Players Championship.
China's Zhou built a 4-2 lead with top breaks of 87, 50, 57 and 56. Higgins admitted he was preoccupied with stomach ache at that point, but he managed breaks of 60 and 74 to recover to 4-4. Zhou had early chances in the decider but mustered just 11 points, and then made a safety error, leaving a red close to a top corner. Four-time World Champion Higgins slotted in the red from distance to initiate a match-winning 72.
"I have been on the wrong end of a lot of deciders lately, so I'm delighted, it's a great win for me" said the Scot. "Zhou was looking really strong at 4-2. I love him as a boy and as a player. His game is so good, it's just a matter of time before he gets into the winner's enclosure.
"I haven't been feeling great all day, my stomach has been very bad. From 4-2 it probably helped me because it relaxed my mind. I wasn't thinking about the match, I was thinking about not running to the toilet. I wasn't thinking about the pressure of the game, just the pressure somewhere else!"
Asked about equalling O'Sullivan's record, Higgins added: "One more quarter-final for 147 would be nice. I've had a long career and maybe that's why I've managed to rack up some of those numbers. I'm proud to still be going. I still love competing out there and I'd dearly love to win a big event. That's what I'm trying my hardest to do."
In contrast to Higgins, Zak Surety has now reached just one ranking event quarter-final, and the Essex cueman achieved that breakthrough with a 5-2 win over Liu Hongyu. Breaks of 97, 126, 86 and 65 helped world number 89 Surety to a fine win and set up a match with Tom Ford.
"I was trying not to get ahead of myself because this is a big tournament with big money," said Surety, who is guaranteed a career-high pay day of £22,000. "I played well until 3-2 up, then in the sixth frame I was trying to keep the same momentum and same rhythm but I started panicking and waiting for things to go wrong. I still managed to go 4-2 up, then in the last frame I was struggling to even count let alone pot the balls. I still can't feel my legs. I'm playing well, but in the crucial parts of frames and matches I am letting the occasion get to me."
World number eight Shaun Murphy beat number nine Ding Junhui 5-2 in a clash between the two highest ranked players left in the event. Murphy, who has had an outstanding start to 2025 having won the Johnstone's Paint Masters last month, rattled in runs of 80, 72 and 93 as he set up a quarter-final with Joe O'Connor, a 5-3 winner over Michael Holt.
Barry Hawkins, runner-up at the Victorian Plumbing UK Championship and the Machineseeker German Masters in recent months, reached his fifth ranking quarter-final of the season with a 5-3 win over Ryan Day.
"I feel fortunate because my game hasn't be there this week," said Hawkins, whose top break today was 81 as he earned a tie with Ali Carter. "I am riding my luck, battling hard and nicking frames. I'm still here and I can always improve in the next round. It has been a good season for me, I have been at the business end of a lot of tournaments, although I would have liked to win a final. I am in all of the big tournaments coming up so I can enjoy the rest of the season."
Carter enjoyed a 5-1 success to end the run of David Lilley, who had knocked out Mark Allen and Wu Yize. That's a vital result for Carter as he moves up to 16th place in the Johnstone's Paint One-Year Rankings and is now on track to qualify for the Sportsbet.io Players Championship.
"That's probably the best I've played in the last few events," said Carter, who made breaks of 68, 100, 51 and 90. Looking back on yesterday's 5-4 win over Jack Lisowski, he added: "I really enjoy playing Jack because he's the closest thing we've got to Ronnie O'Sullivan. When you play him, you have a tiger by the tail the whole time, he's so inspirational. For me to grind out a victory was very pleasing."
Carter won this event in 2016, the first tournament staged in Yushan. He recalls: "All week I ate plain boiled rice, streamed broccoli and no alcohol, which is unheard of for me. I lost about half a stone, felt really good and had a proper detox. I'm doing exactly the same this week. I feel I am coming good in the later part of the season."
Pang won an all-Chinese battle against Xu Si by a 5-2 scoreline, firing breaks of 71, 62, 64 and 125. Ford, who won his first ranking title this season at the 9Club Shoot Out, came from 2-0 down to beat Jimmy Robertson 5-3 with breaks of 105, 60, 123, 67 and 79.