Hawkins enjoyed a comfortable 11-5 lead over his Chinese rival overnight and quickly sealed success today.

He claimed the final two frames to earn an 13-5 win, putting him into a fifth semi-final in six years at the Championships.

Hawkins will play Wales’ Mark Williams, who came through his match against England’s Ali Carter.

Williams led 8-7 heading into the final session, where he was able to pull away from his rival.

The Welsh player earned a 13-8 victory to reach the last four.

England’s Kyren Wilson stormed into his first Crucible semi-final, after securing victory against Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen.

Wilson had opened up a clear advantage over Allen yesterday when he won seven of the eight frames contested in the second session.

It gave him an 11-5 lead overnight, with Wilson able to eventually complete a 13-6 win today.

He will play Scotland’s John Higgins, who came through a a thrilling contest against England’s Judd Trump.

There was little to separate the two players throughout the duration of the tie, with the scores eventually being locked at 12-12.

Higgins was ultimately able to claim the decisive final frame to complete a 13-12 win and reach the semi-final.