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In a repeat of last year's final, Carter started brightly with a 118 before the world number one hit back with breaks of 71 and 76 to lead 2-1.

Carter levelled at 2-2 but then his Scottish opponent turned on the style after the interval, with two quick frames and knocks of 69 and 55.

Higgins powered on in Newport and will now play Mark Selby or Stephen Maguire.

Carter, who last won the title in 2009, struggled after the interval and was unable to stay at the table for any substantial length of time as his opponent took hold of the match.

Higgins now has his sights set on his second major title of the year after marking his return from a six-month ban by winning the UK Championship.

The 35-year-old is competing for the first time since pulling out of the German Masters after his father, also called John, lost his battle with cancer earlier this month.

Tomorrow's final will be his fifth at the event, with Higgins looking to add to the titles he won in 2000 and 2010.

Labels: beats, Carter, final, Higgins, reach, Sport, Welsh

It was Hendry's 10th maximum, putting him level with Ronnie O'Sullivan, but he then lost the next three frames.

World champion Neil Robertson lost 4-1 to Graeme Dott and Matthew Stevens beat Ryan Day 4-3 to reach the last eight.

Ali Carter ousted obdurate Peter Ebdon 4-1 and will play Ding Junhui, who came from 3-1 down to beat Mark Allen 4-3, with a break of 79 in the final frame.

Hendry, the seventh player to make a 147 this season, could not find his rhythm again after his magnificent start and his next highest break was 49.

Asked about his maximum he said: "Who cares? I lost my focus in the second frame, I had about 59 chances to win it but couldn't take them. After that I was garbage, total garbage. I had enough chances to win the whole tournament."

Maguire, who plays world number two Mark Williams in the quarter-finals, recorded a fluent 129 in frame three and closed out the match with a 55 after a mistake by Hendry on a straightforward red.

Dott avenged last year's World Championship final defeat against Robertson, with four consecutive frames after the Australian had taken the opener with a break of 51.

The Scot levelled after a scrappy second frame then reeled off three successive half century breaks.

Stevens won the opening frame against his fellow Welshman with a 58 but Day, who beat Ronnie O'Sullivan in round one, came from 3-1 down to force a decider which Stevens eventually claimed after a 66.

The match produced some high quality break building, with Day levelling at 1-1 after a well-crafted 89.

Stevens went ahead again with a 43 but Day compiled a 74 and then took the match to the final frame.

Day responded to his opponent's 66 with a 42 but after a tense tactical battle on the brown, world number 21 Williams, twice a beaten finalist at the World Championship, prevailed to book a quarter-final against defending champion John Higgins.

"I was feeling comfortable at 3-1 and missed a simple black. I should be out, I'm just pleased to be through," Stevens said.

"I love playing John, he's one of the all-time greats and I'm really looking forward to it. It's probably the first time I've been in the quarter-finals of the Welsh for about 20 years!"

World number eight Carter raced into a 3-0 against Ebdon, the world number 12, and closed out the match with a break of 74.

Williams whitewashed Jamie Cope 4-0 but said: "It looked easy on paper, but Jamie could have won a couple of them. It's flattering - it wasn't a 4-0 match."

Labels: beaten, break, despite, Hendry, Sport, Stephen, Welsh