Amazing Higginson goes on

Higginson edged a close first frame before his stunning 147 in the second - the first of his career and an effort that earns him £22,000 from the tournament sponsors.

The amount is all the more significant considering he had claimed less than £70,000 in prize money over the course of his 12-year pro career.

Higginson - provisionally ranked 63rd in the world - went on to claim the third and fourth frames with breaks of 83 and 48 to take a 4-0 lead in to the mid-session interval.

Carter managed to get on the board with a break of 54 in the fifth to delay the inevitable, but Higginson continued his breathtaking hot-streak with another century (104) to close out the match and move in to the last four.

Prior to this season, the 29-year-old Higginson had never been beyond the last 48 of a ranking tournament.

However, the Widnes-based player reached the last 16 at the Malta Cup last month before being beaten by former world champion Ken Doherty.

Higginson - who had already beaten Marco Fu, John Higgins and Michael Judge this week - will take on Shaun Murphy or Stephen Macgure in the semi-final.