Anthony McGill (left) faced the possibility of losing his tour card.
Anthony McGill is set to face Shaun Murphy in the British Open final on Sunday after securing a 6-3 victory over fellow Scot John Higgins, winning four consecutive frames.
McGill’s triumph marks his first final appearance in eight years, while Murphy of England dominated defending champion Mark Selby with a 6-1 win.
McGill, currently ranked 57th globally, entered the semi-final as the underdog against Higgins, the four-time world champion ranked sixth, in what was his first semi-final in nearly three years.
The 34-year-old expressed his delight at securing his third professional victory over Higgins in their nine encounters, especially after trailing 2-1 and 3-2.
“It’s a fantastic win for me because John is a legend,” McGill stated after reaching his fourth ranking final.
“This will be the biggest final of my career. In the last couple of years I have won hardly any matches so this is a huge week for me.”
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Having once reached a career high of 12, McGill was at risk of tour relegation, but his performance guarantees a return to the top 50.
After Higgins secured the fifth frame with a break of 111, the former world champion appeared to gain momentum.
However, McGill demonstrated greater composure, highlighted by a 104 break in the eighth and a 93 break in the ninth, ultimately clinching the victory.
In Saturday’s other semi-final, Murphy aimed to break a 26-month drought without a ranking title. The 43-year-old began strongly against four-time world champion Selby, winning the first three frames.
Selby responded by taking the fourth frame with a break of 123, but Murphy quickly reasserted control.
He secured a tense fifth frame, recovering from a 54-0 deficit, and then sealed the match with a break of 93, securing his place in Sunday’s final with a chance to win the £100,000 top prize.
Murphy expressed his “delight” with his performance, stating: “I’ve had a very tough draw to get to the final but hopefully that hasn’t taken too much out of me.
“It has been a while since I won a ranking event so it would be nice to pick up another one.”