Murphy endured a frustrating start, echoing the pattern of the opening session. Chances came, but too often slipped away. An early opportunity went begging after a break of 49 when he overcut the black, and Higgins punished him with a clinical 72 clearance to seize control.
Higgins edges ahead
To his credit, Murphy responded with a composed 88 to draw level, but Higgins looked sharper than he had earlier in the match. A contribution of 67, followed by further errors from Murphy, allowed the Scot to keep his nose in front.
Murphy briefly steadied before the interval, eventually levelling at 6-6 after a series of safety exchanges, but the match continued to hinge on small margins.
After the restart, Higgins capitalised. Murphy twice had chances to move ahead but failed to convert, first with a foul and then with a loose combination. Higgins stepped in on both occasions, compiling a 57 clearance and then a fluent 86 to win back-to-back frames and open up a two-frame lead.
Murphy responds under pressure
With the match threatening to drift, Murphy produced a timely response. A scrappy, 35-minute frame went his way after he built a lead that forced Higgins into snookers, eventually sealing it with a confident long pot.
The closing frame was equally tense. Higgins looked poised to extend his advantage once more, only to miss a red with the rest at a crucial moment. Murphy seized the chance, clearing to the pink to restore parity at 8-8.
With little to separate them, the semi-final remains finely poised heading into the third session.