Higgins, Williams to fight for title at snooker worlds

LONDON, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Four-time winner John Higgins and two-time champion will fight for the title of the Snooker World Championship at Sheffield's Crucible on Sunday.

Higgins reached the World Championship final for the seventh time after beating Kyren Wilson 17-13, while Williams fought off hard challenge from 2013 finalist Barry Hawkins to win 17-15.

The 42-year-old Higgins failed to win his fifth title last year, wasting a 10-4 lead before losing to world number one Mark Selby.

The 26-year-old Wilson's bid to become the youngest world champion since Shaun Murphy in 2005 came to an end. However, he did have a landmark win against Mark Allen in the last eight to ensure his passage to the one-table semifinals for the first time in his career.

Higgins said: "I'm so proud that 20 years after I won my first world title, I'm sitting here ready to compete in another final. It's a fantastic feeling. It would be extra special to play Mark Williams, he's won it twice before and would be going after a third one. I'll be going for a fifth."

Williams' appearance in the final caps a remarkable turnaround for the Welshman. He did not even qualify in 2017, and last reached the final 15 years ago, when he defeated Ken Doherty.

He almost retired last summer and did not win a ranking title for six years, but a late-career revival has seen him claim two events this season.

The final at the Crucible starts on Sunday at 14:00 BST and ends on Monday night. Enditem