Higgins and Williams first met professionally in 1994, but their rivalry dates back to 1990 at the Home Internationals in Prestatyn, according to Higgins. They met in the 2025 World Championship quarter-final, which Williams won 13-12 on the final black. Higgins said he feels he 'owes one' to Williams for that defeat.
At the World Championship, Higgins defeated Ali Carter 10-7 in the first round and beat Ronnie O'Sullivan 13-12 in the quarter-finals. He became the oldest man to reach a World Snooker Championship semi-final since 1985, according to multiple reports. Higgins faces Shaun Murphy in the semi-finals, with the first session ending 4-4.
The match is best of 33 frames, and the other semi-final is between Wu Yize and Mark Allen. Higgins said he is adopting a more relaxed attitude, similar to Mark Williams. He felt overwhelmed by the ovation during his walk-on against O'Sullivan.
Higgins is also on commentary and punditry duty for Channel 5 during the Tour Championship. He is ranked fifth in the world. Shaun Murphy won the World Championship in 2005 as a qualifier.
He has been married twice before his current engagement to Jo and underwent a gastric sleeve operation in 2022 to tackle his eating habits. Only the top 12 on the one-year rankings qualify for the Tour Championship. Ronnie O'Sullivan must first beat He Guoqiang to face Higgins.
Stan Moody beat Higgins 5-4 at the World Open in Yushan; Moody is 19 years old and ranked world number 44. Higgins played his 2000th professional match against Moody. Zhao Xintong has won all three of his finals this year.
The World Championship is set to stay at the Crucible with a significant revamp until 2045.