Robertson into semis at UK snooker champs

Australia's Neil Robertson has seen off Scot John Higgins to stay on course for a blockbuster semi-final against England's Mark Selby in snooker's UK Championship.

Higgins recovered from 4-1 down on Friday to force a deciding frame in perhaps the stand-out match so far at this year's event in York.

But the 33-year-old Australian wrapped up a tense 6-5 quarter-final win and later reflected on "an emotional roller coaster".

Higgins opened up with the 600th century of his career, 119, but Robertson responded - just as he had in Thursday's last-16 clash, when he watched Stephen Maguire start with a 118 break.

This time it was not with a century of his own as frame two became a dogfight featuring a lengthy ruling over a free ball and an interruption from a butterfly, which twice landed on the table before referee Jan Verhaas removed it.

Robertson made 106, 59 and 71 to take the two frames before the interval and 56 to clinch the first frame back, but Higgins made 69 and a pair of 134s en route to 5-5.

But the 40-year-old Scot missed several chances in the decider, including rattling a red in a baulk pocket, and Robertson prevailed.

"The way I started the match was absolutely brilliant, to go 4-1 up, but John being the champion he is shut me out the next couple of frames," said Robertson.

"It was one of those deciders, I went into the pack but didn't land on a ball very well, I missed a couple, he missed a couple, he knocked in a brilliant long red and lucky for me he's missed a semi-tricky green in the middle.

"I almost made a meal of it when I had to cut that red in, but I'm very relieved to get through."

World No.1 Selby is set to tackle Matthew Selt in the evening session for the right to play Robertson in the last four.

Robertson and Selby met in the 2013 final won by Robertson.

On the other table, China's Liang Wenbo also needed an 11th frame to get past Hong Kong's Marco Fu, having started the match with three straight centuries.