John Higgins has reached the quarter-finals of the Masters after scoring a 6-4 victory against Marco Fu at Wembley.
Two-time winner flukes black to win
John Higgins has reached the quarter-finals of the Masters after scoring a 6-4 victory against Marco Fu at Wembley.
A see-saw battle saw the world number five race into a two-frame lead, Higgins' break of 140 in the second comfortably being the best of the tournament so far.
However, Hong Kong's Fu, looking to become the first non-British winner since Cliff Thorburn in 1986, levelled the match at the mid-session interval after requiring a re-spotted black in frame four.
The world number 14 then took the lead after winning the fifth before extending his advantage yet further thanks to a break of 77 in frame six.
A portent that the match might be Fu's came when he cannoned a fluky red in the seventh. However, his break came to an end at 40 and Higgins, who won the tournament in 1999 and 2006, reined him back in with a visit of 59.
The Scot then levelled the match at four frames apiece thanks to a poised break of 69, and he claimed the lead once more in a scrappy ninth frame that could have gone either way.
Suddenly battling to stay alive, Fu had built a healthy advantage in the penultimate frame but the reinvigorated Higgins came back once more.
The 'Wizard of Wishaw' looked to have missed his chance when a pink rattled the jaws; however, Fu found himself snookered by the black.
Outrageous
Higgins then pocketed the pink in fine style before sealing victory in outrageous manner on the black - his shot ricocheting in the jaws and rolling along the bottom cushion into the opposite pocket.
Whilst acknowledging his good fortune, Higgins also claimed that, such was his exasperation at falling two frames behind, he had considered walking out of the arena.
"I've tried over my career not to put anything down to luck. It evens out over the course of a season," he said.
"It was an unbelievable fluke for me at the end there but it was such a topsy turvy game.
"How it was two each at the interval... I would have done a runner and smashed my cue because I felt that bad, I should have been 4-0 in front.
"Then Marco came out and played great to go 4-2, he should have made it 5-2 - I was all over the place and he was starting to look really good.
"It just shows you in sport you never know what's going to happen."
The victory was Higgins' first at the tournament since his second triumph three years ago.
He will now face Ding Junhui in the last eight.
Convincing win for Allen
In Tuesday night's match, Mark Allen earned his passage into the quarter-finals in fine style thanks to a 6-1 drubbing of world number eight Ryan Day.
The 22-year-old world number 16, who defeated teenager Judd Trump in the wildcard round, now plays defending champion Mark Selby.
After both players recorded half-century breaks to share the opening frames, Antrim's Allen took a 3-1 lead at the mid-session interval, a break of 61 sealing the fourth.
Any hopes his Welsh opponent had of making a comeback appeared further in vain when Allen then racked up a 119 break to go three frames clear.
Day, who reached last year's Grand Prix final, missed a simple black to hand Allen the sixth frame, the former world amateur champion moving on to seal victory in convincing fashion.
