China's Ding beaten by Higgins at Snooker English Open

LONDON - China's top player Ding Junhui was outplayed by Scottish veteran John Higgins 4-1 on Thursday, failing to reach the quarterfinals of the Snooker English Open.

The duo shared the first two frames before Higgins took the next three in a row. Four-time world champion Higgins will take on Jak Jones for a semifinal berth on Friday.

Elsewhere, China's Zhou Yuelong did make it through to the quarterfinals, beating Andrew Higginson 4-0 with top breaks of 115 and 124 to set up a clash with reigning champion Mark Selby. Three-time champion Selby fought hard to edge Iran's Hossein Vafaei 4-3 in a long battle.

"I was lucky today because Hossein and Liang Wenbo both had chances to beat me," said Selby, who also needed to win the deciding frame against China's Liang in the third round.

World number one Judd Trump will face Kyren Wilson on Friday, while Australian ace Neil Robertson takes on Robbie Williams.