John Higgins took a first-session lead against Kyren Wilson as the four-times champion bids to reach another world championship final.

The 42-year-old, runner-up to Mark Selby 12 months ago, will take a 5-3 advantage into the second session against a man who was just six when Higgins lifted his first world title in 1998. In the other semi-final, Barry Hawkins took a 5-3 overnight lead against two-times champion Mark Williams.

Wilson, the world No 9, started slowly in his first semi-final appearance at the Crucible but fought back from 4-1 down and will rue a missed opportunity to level in the final frame of the session.

Higgins forged ahead with breaks of 57, 65 and 77 before Wilson finally got on the board before the mid-session interval. The Scot restored his advantage after the resumption with a frame-winning clearance of 69, but the 26-year-old found his form to claim the next two, including a brilliant break of 140 in the seventh.

Wilson then missed an inviting red in the final frame of the day and Higgins took advantage, clearing to the pink, to take a two-frame overnight lead he aims to reach a seventh final in Sheffield.

In the evening session, Williams’ century in the final frame of the day kept him within two frames of Barry Hawkins, who leads 5-3.

Hawkins, runner-up in 2013, started with a brilliant break of 129 and followed it up with 74 before Williams responded with an 88 that included a clever three-ball plant. The big breaks then briefly went missing, with three successive scrappy frames ending with Hawkins enjoying a 4-2 lead.

Williams then missed a tricky shot – using one rest balanced on top of another – at the start of the seventh, which gave Hawkins the opportunity to make a frame-winning 90, before Williams responded with a fine 110 to close the gap back to two.

Higgins and Wilson will play the morning and evening sessions on Friday, with Hawkins and Williams resuming in the afternoon.