Dennis Taylor
1985 world champion on BBC Two

John Higgins keeps on doing it and he's done it for the whole of his career.

It's the first time he's opened up a two-frame advantage, he's going to take a bit of stopping and Shaun is going to have to step up a gear.

A break of 86 from John Higgins gives him a two-frame lead and it's the biggest margin that 'The Wizard of Wishaw' has led by so far in this semi-final.

Both players have made mistakes but it's Higgins who is capitalising on them.

The Scot is turning it on when it matters to close out frames.

Steve Davis
Six-time world champion on BBC Two

John Higgins looks like he is getting stronger. That freak screwback from Shaun Murphy has cost him the frame.

Steven Hallworth
Snooker commentator on BBC Two

It's amazing how big of an impact these frames have over this course and distance.

You could make a case for Shaun Murphy being something like 10-3 up at the moment but he has now got to pray for an unlikely mistake to avoid being 8-6 down.

Image source, PA Media

John Higgins breaks the pack up with a brilliant cannon off the blue and this now looks a formality.

The Scot does still need all of the remaining reds but they are positioned brilliantly.

Tough start to this frame with both players on the hunt for snookers until John Higgins decides he has had enough of all that and pots a delicious long red.

From 30-0 down in the frame, could the Scot once again nick this one to extend his lead?

He's certainly well positioned to now.

Steve Sutcliffe
BBC Sport at the Crucible Theatre

Both John Higgins and Shaun Murphy are aiming to make it fourth time lucky this year, so to speak, having lost the past three world finals they have appeared in.

Higgins was beaten by Mark Selby, Mark Williams and Judd Trump in successive years between 2017-2019, while Murphy has lost to Higgins (2009), Stuart Bingham (2015) and Selby (2021) since collecting his only title to date back in 2005.

Should the Englishman triumph it would be the biggest gap (21 years) between titles at the Crucible, albeit it would also be 15 years for the Scot, who picked up his fourth Crucible crown in 2011.

Steven Hallworth
Snooker commentator on BBC Two

Higgins is looking loads better and you can tell he's feeling good as well because you have to be feeling pretty decent to make those clearances.

Dennis Taylor
1985 world champion on BBC Two

Shaun took a very risky plant on and it's OK taking it on, but he left two reds to the middle and that plant cost him.

Shaun has got to keep doing what he's doing because that's his natural game. If he gets a chance, he's going to try to win the frame with it, but he knows what he's up against in John Higgins.

You can't pick anything between them and it's turning out to be a wonderful match.

A scrappy frame in which both players made numerous mistakes but it's John Higgins that comes out on top.

After that final miss from Shaun Murphy, Higgins clears up with a break of 57.

The Scot is yet to trail today.

It's all becoming a bit edgy.

Shaun Murphy back to the table and on a break of eight looks to plant one into the middle pocket but it again rattles the jaw.

John Higgins gets another chance.

Image source, PA Media

Steven Hallworth
Snooker commentator on BBC Two

You could see the second it left the cue ball it was destined for that left jaw. You have to be so precise on these Championship tables but it was a shot he would have fancied knocking in. You can see his disappointment.

Where's the cue ball going....

Into the middle pocket.

Shaun Murphy pots a red into the bottom left but in doing so, watches his cue ball nestle into the middle pocket.

John Higgins comes to the table and misses the red to the bottom left. That pocket is causing him no end of trouble today!

Wow. Shot of the day so far from Shaun Murphy to rattle the yellow into the middle pocket and get himself away.

He'll have to deal with the bunch of reds shortly but for now he's going along well.

Image source, PA Media

Everyone had the chance to make a brew and get refreshed?

We're under way again and it's Shaun Murphy beginning with his third-red break-off shot and causing an instant headache for John Higgins.

Steve Sutcliffe
BBC Sport at the Crucible Theatre

Snooker is booming. The appetite for the game across the globe is at record levels and prize money looks to only be heading in one direction, despite the recent loss of the lucrative Saudi Arabia Masters.

The World Championship has showcased a new wave of exciting talent, with Wu Yize reaching the semi-finals and the likes of Stan Moody, Liam Pullen and Antoni Kowalski all displaying their rich promise on their debuts.

John Higgins' march to the last four also suggests that the sport's fabled Class of 92 remain a force in the top echelons of the game.

Yet, against that positive backdrop, the condition of the sport's grassroots comes into view after years of decline for local snooker clubs.

BBC Sport looks at what went wrong and the efforts being made to deliver a resurgence.

Do you have any thoughts on the local snooker club scene and its future? Get in touch using the yellow Get Involved icon on this page.