2024 British Open Snooker Semi-Finals: Saturday 28th September Preview, Matches, Order of Play

Between three of the semi-finalists, they have a total of 64 ranking event titles and have all been the world number one. The other semi-finalist is currently ranked 99th in the world and is appearing in the last four of a ranking event for the first time.

13:00BST: John Higgins v Oliver Lines

In the afternoon session, joint-record four-time British Open champion John Higgins meets Oliver Lines who has broken new personal ground with his run at the Centaur this week.

For the first week in over 29 years, John Higgins finds himself outside of the world's top 16 rankings following the latest update after last week's English Open. If he reaches the final here, the 49-year-old will immediately return to the sport's elite bracket on Monday.

The great Scot has made a statement this week, relinquishing only six frames in five matches as he aims to lift his first ranking trophy in over three-and-a-half years.

29-year-old Lines has already banked the biggest payday of his professional career, so far, in getting to the last four, having booked his place there after ousting Crucible finalist Jak Jones via a deciding frame on Friday night.

In terms of their career head-to-head record, Higgins has won all four of their meetings with a frame aggregate of 18-5, but Lines will not want his great time in Gloucestershire to stop here.

19:00BST Mark Selby v Mark Allen

The evening match is a real blockbuster between two of the most successful players in the sport over the past 15 years or so - and the last two defeated British Open finalists (Allen - 2022, Selby - 2023).

Four-time world champion Mark Selby has been a master of brinksmanship this week, winning all four of his matches via a deciding frame, including his first two on the final black. (Selby received a walkover in round two).

Having been frustrated by table conditions during his 4-3 opening round victory against fellow top 16 star Gary Wilson on Monday, Mark Allen returned to the same table a few days later in the last 32 and compiled his fourth maximum 147 break in professional competition.

It has been a very eventful week for the Northern Irishman; in the last 16 he pipped Chris Wakelin, 4-3 on the colours, in a match that finished past 1.30am local time, getting some revenge for losing to Wakelin in the last eight of the English Open a few days before.

In the quarter-finals, Allen dismissed world number one Judd Trump after his opponent celebrated making his 1,000th century break on snooker’s top tier earlier in the contest. Last week in Essex, Allen defeated Higgins having watched his opposite number also reach the historic milestone during the match.

If you exclude short-race Championship League fixtures, Allen leads Selby in their head-to-head record, 10-8. Everything points to a very close encounter on Saturday as ten of those previous meetings went to a deciding frame, and their five most recent have been won by a margin of only either one frame or two.

The semi-finals are the best of 11 frames with a scheduled mid-session interval after the fourth frame.

For full details on the 2024 British Open including the draw, results, prize money, schedule and how to watch, please visit our tournament information centre here.