Barry Hawkins and Judd Trump emerged the winners of their respective semi-finals.
Here are the reports by WST:
Trump Fightback Floors Higgins
Judd Trump prevailed in yet another classic contest with John Higgins, rallying from 4-2 down to win 6-5 and clinch his place in the final of the BetVictor European Masters in Nuremberg.
The clash was the latest in a storied rivalry between the pair, which has included two World Championship finals in 2011 and 2019. Victory for 23-time ranking event winner Trump sees him edge in front in their head-to-head standings, now leading his counterpart 15-14.
Both players came into this week seeking to capture ranking silverware for the first time in over a year. Trump claimed his last ranking crown back at the 2022 Turkish Masters, while the most recent of Higgins’ 31 ranking event wins came at the 2021 Players Championship.
Trump is now just one win away from returning to the winner’s circle, he faces either Mark Selby or Barry Hawkins over the best of 17 frames in the final. The victor will take home the £80,000 top prize.
It was Higgins who started best this afternoon, breaks of 59, 50 and 70 saw him sweep the first three frames and move 3-0 up. However, Trump responded emphatically with contributions of 111 and 93 to pull within one at 3-2. Higgins responded in kind and a brilliant 114 saw him reassert himself on proceedings and lead 4-2.
Trump hit back in the next two frames and drew level at 4-4, but breaks of 54 and 60 helped Higgins to take the ninth and close in on the win at 5-4 in front. He was made to wait for his chance, when Trump was aided by a fluked red which set him up to force a decider. Both players had chances in the final frame, but it was the Bristolian who made a crucial break of 73 to clinch the 6-5 win.
“It is always an incredible game with John. I said before the game that it is a match I always cherish. I know that I need to play somewhere near my best. Obviously today I wasn’t at my best, but I managed to dig in and do what John and Mark Selby do. They don’t give in. I waited for my chances and they came. I had a pressure shot on the pink in the last frame. If I missed, all the balls were there. It was nice to pot that under the upmost pressure,” said 33-year-old Trump.
“When you don’t win early on it depletes your confidence and your belief. The difference this season has been night and day. I could have easily been out in the game against Chris Wakelin when I was 4-0 down and now I am here and playing in the final. That is how fine the line is. There were so many times last season when I should have won and I went out. This time I should have been out and I’m in the final.
“It is important to try and get off to a good start. There is nothing better than winning a tournament at the start of the season. Winning these big ones nowadays puts you in all of the other events. Anyone that gets an event early on seems to have the season of their life. We saw it with Mark Allen last season and me a couple of years before. It just shows how important it is to get off to a good start.”
Higgins said: “He deserved it and potted some pressure balls in the last couple of frames. If I am being hyper critical, I missed a bad red in the fourth frame, but I’m not looking at the negatives. I’m looking at the positives and he played really well in that game. He just managed to pip me and he is a great champion. We always have good games, but I’ve come out losing this time.”
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ADBC2feBYsg%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26enablejsapi%3D1%26origin%3Dhttps%3A
It’s hard to explain rationally but my feeling was that, yes, Judd Trump played well, but the pre-covid Higgins wouldn’t have lost that match from 3-0 up. That said, Judd has matured a lot and for the better. There is no more surrendering to frustration when things don’t go his way, no more wild smashing the balls. He’s a lot more in control of his emotions and it’s a while since we’ve heard him bemoaning his bad luck. He prefers an open game but when he must, his safety game is there amongst the best currently.
Hawk Downs The Jester
Barry Hawkins scored a 6-4 win over close friend and four-time World Champion Mark Selby in Nuremberg to make the BetVictor European Masters final for a second consecutive year.
The Hawk is now one win away from ending a ranking title drought which extends back six years to the 2017 World Grand Prix. Since then he has appeared in a further four ranking finals, but was runner up at the 2018 Welsh Open, 2018 China Open, 2022 Players Championship and 2022 European Masters. His defeat in last year’s European Masters final came 9-3 at the hands of Kyren Wilson.
Hawkins must now face 2019 World Champion Judd Trump over the best of 17 frames, with a top prize of £80,000 on the line. The Ace in the Pack is aiming to break a drought of his own, having not won a ranking title since the 2022 Turkish Masters.
Despite defeat this evening, it has been a strong outing for Selby in his first appearance of the season. He ended last term falling short in snooker’s biggest match, after being beaten 18-15 by Luca Brecel in an all-time classic World Championship final. The four-time Crucible king appears to be gearing up for another big campaign in 23/24.
The match began at a ferocious pace, Selby took an early lead with a sublime 134 in the opener. However, Hawkins responded with 106 to restore parity. Selby moved 2-1 ahead, before Hawkins battled to take a 38-minute fourth to head into the mid-session level at 2-2.
They traded the first two frames after the interval, with Hawkins then crafting a run of 70 to take the lead for the first time in the match at 4-3. With the finish line coming into view, Selby stepped it up a gear. A contribution of 94 saw him draw level and he had looked set to move one from the win, when he strung together a break of 59 in the ninth. The frame was turned on its head though, when Hawkins hit back with an incredible clearance of 66 to steal on the black.
Selby had the first chance to force a decider in the next, but broke down on 32. Hawkins stepped in and ruthlessly wrapped up the match with a fine break of 73.
“I’m delighted. I thought it was a high quality game with not many balls missed. Overall I thought the standard was very good. To beat Mark, when it looked like he was playing well, is a feather in my cap,” said 44-year-old Hawkins.
“I’ve watched all of the greats over the years and those are the sorts of frames they win (the two at the end of the match). It looked like I was going 5-4 down and Mark had the momentum with him. It would have been an uphill battle from there. To win those sorts of frames is a massive boost in confidence. I held myself together under the utmost pressure.
“It doesn’t get any easier. I’m looking forward to the final though. It is another big match and I’ve had some great games with Judd over the years. I know what to expect. I just need more of the same from what I did tonight really. I won’t worry about who I am playing and just go out there and enjoy the occasion.”
https://youtube.com/watch?v=of69VsCoJpk%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26enablejsapi%3D1%26origin%3Dhttps%3A
And some images shared on twitter by WST
Ronnie O'Sullivan 
I would think that it is really worrying for Higgins not being able to finish matches, but losing them from being up. Maybe age is also catching up with him. Of course today I’m rooting for Barry: he is one of the few really likeable characters and it would be lovely to see him lift a trophy and not collapse and erase the memory of his terrible play in the final last year.