Higgins powers through to dream semi

John Higgins and Mark Williams set up a mouthwatering repeat of their clash in last year's Embassy World Championship semi-finals on a day when Joe Swail's Crucible dream also continued.

Williams eased into the last four 13-5 against Fergal O'Brien while Higgins, the man he will replace as world number one next season, ended Anthony Hamilton's challenge a session early with a 13-3 victory.

It means the duo will again meet for a place in the final, with Higgins hoping to gain revenge for a 17-10 defeat 12 months ago which meant he had to relinquish the crown.

Both Higgins and Williams had struggled to hit top gear in the first two rounds of the tournament, but on the evidence of their quarter-final performances the Sheffield crowd should be in for a treat over the next three days.

They produced awesome displays of break-building, Higgins in particular showing today that he is in the best form of his life.

The "Wishaw Wizard" resumed 5-3 up against Hamilton, who had knocked out 1997 champion Ken Doherty in the previous round.

But any thoughts the world number 10 had of taking another major scalp quickly disappeared as Higgins won the first four frames of the session.

He did so with two breaks of 66 and an 86 - and then raised his game again after the interval.

Higgins made three successive centuries of 136, 103 and 135 to help him accumulate 485 points without reply - a Crucible record - before polishing off an increasingly dispirited Hamilton to give himself the night off.

"The way I was playing I could have stayed out there until midnight," said the 24-year-old Scot.

"After I went 8-3 up I didn't miss a ball. I can't play any better than that but I'll have to keep up that standard if I'm to win the title."