Higgins & Robertson advance

Defending champion John Higgins completed a 5-1 hammering of Mark Allen to reach the Grand Prix semi-finals in Glasgow.

A 66 break in the opening frame suggested the 'Wizard of Wishaw' was in the same imperious form that accounted for Ronnie O'Sullivan in the previous round, and he clinched the second in two visits before a 72 break saw him open up a 3-0 lead.

Allen battled back, clearing the colours to take frame four and knocking in a break of 73 in the next - but a missed red off the rest let Higgins back in to snatch the frame.

And he won frame single with a single visit of 96 to finish the match.

Australian Neil Robertson was even more impressive as he strung together two centuries in beating practice partner Joe Perry by the same scoreline.

Perry started with a run of 60 en route to winning the first frame, but Robertson immediately levelled and did not look back.

A superb century with the balls in awkward positions extended his lead, and he followed that effort with a 67 to move 4-1 up.

His display was given a fitting finale with a second century, 103, as he secured victory and joined Higgins in the last four.

China's Ding Junhui disposed of Peter Ebdon in a lengthy encounter to round off the quarter-finals.

Ding won 5-2 as Ebdon failed to perform in the crucial passages of a game that lasted five minutes short of three hours.

The result sees Ding into a first ranking event semi-final for more than three years, with Williams waiting in the last four after the Welshman saw off England's Robert Milkins 5-2.