All square at the Crucible

Higgins won two opening nervy frames but Selby, who has already knocked out two former world champions in Peter Ebdon and Shaun Murphy, drew level by the interval.

Higgins had already achieved one major objective before he potted a ball having regained the top spot in the rankings for the 2007-2008 campaign ahead of the 2006 world champion Graeme Dott.

The Scot is the fifth player to have regained the top berth after Ray Reardon, Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O'Sullivan and Mark Williams with the 31-year-old last in the number one position for the 1999-2000 season.

Selby was the third qualifier to reach the final after Terry Griffiths in 1979 and Shaun Murphy two years ago. It remained to be seen how much energy the Leicester potter had left in the tank after his quarter-final and semi-final clashes with Ali Carter and Murphy had both gone to the final frame.

Both players struggled to find any fluency in the early stages in front of a capacity audience with a run of 37 helping 1998 champion Higgins to win the opening frame which lasted more than half an hour.

It was lengthened when referee Eirian Williams needed around five minutes to replace several balls in their correct position with the aid of a video screen after Higgins, snookered behind the black, cannoned into them.

The next frame was of a similar duration and Selby was made to pay for missing a pottable final yellow as Higgins, who had registered the 1,000th Crucible century yesterday, cleared to the pink to double his lead.

Selby, whose only other final appearance was in the 2003 Scottish Open when runner-up to David Gray, opened his account in the third with a 38 clearance.

He was certainly not looking overawed by the biggest occasion of his career and a break of 67 brought him level at the mid-session interval - the first half century of the match.