Ronnie O'Sullivan scored a 10-8 win over John Higgins in the first quarter-final of the Cazoo Tour Championship at Celtic Manor.

The world champion gained a measure of revenge for his 10-3 defeat at the hands of his long-time rival in the final of the Players’ Championship last month.

Higgins hit the first century of the week with a 101 break to take frame four.

But O’Sullivan came out on top in a 20-minute frame to edge 5-3 ahead after the first session.

Higgins stayed on O’Sullivan’s coat tails with an outrageous fluke on a red helping him reach the evening’s mid-session interval still only two behind at 7-5.

A lightning break of 112 put the Rocket three ahead but a straightforward missed blue in the 14th let Higgins in again.

Higgins won a scrappy frame to cut the deficit to one, but O’Sullivan was by now hitting his straps and registered a 1,100th career century with a 101.

Higgins hit back once more but a break of 69 helped O’Sullivan get over the line and into the semi-finals.

The Tour Championship features the top eight players of the snooker year.

Tuesday sees Neil Robertson meet Jack Lisowski, Mark Selby takes on Kyren Wilson on Wednesday and world number one Judd Trump faces Barry Hawkins on Thursday.