Barry Hawkins wins tense decider to set up Mark King showdown

Hawkins was never behind in the contest, but saw his opponent sink a match-high 138 break before levelling at 5-5 to force an 11th frame.

However, Hamilton cracked at the worst possible moment – feathering the cue ball to invite Hawkins back to the table. Hawkins posted a 59 break, which proved enough as he soon booked a showdown with Mark King.

"I battled really well. I tried to keep calm and I just can’t believe that happened in the last frame. I’d imagine it has never happened before, but I managed to hold myself together in the end," said Hawkins.

"You have to take those bits of luck when they come along. They don’t happen very often so I’m just delighted to still be here."

King overcame a late rally from Kyren Wilson to secure a 6-2 win.

King, 42, dug in to take the first two scrappy frames before runs of 55 and 72 saw the world number 35 to a four-frame advantage at the mid-session interval.

Wilson was struggling for any sort of fluency as King returned from the interval to take the next frame courtesy of a break of 71.

However, Wilson, who beat Ronnie O’Sullivan in round four, brought some respectability to proceedings with breaks of 90 and 79.

Wilson had his hand on the table in the eighth frame but a loose shot left the door open for King who cleared to secure his spot in the final.