Joe O’Connor bagged the biggest win of his nascent career by dumping four-time world champion John Higgins out of the Welsh Open.

O’Connor is enjoying a strong first season on tour, reaching the third round of the UK Championship late last year after stunning world No.12 Ryan Day in York.

But the 23-year-old took that to another level in Cardiff, with victory over Higgins in Cardiff seeing him reach the semi-final of a ranking event for the first time in his career.

Tough challenges still await with Stuart Bingham to come in the last four but for now the Englishman could revel in an experience that not even he could believe.

“I’m speechless, in the grand scheme of things. It’s a massive week for me and I won’t be forgetting it any time soon,” he said.

“Hopefully it has told a lot of players that I mean business, I’m here to compete and not just make up the numbers.”

O’Connor’s 5-3 victory was far from a fluke either, opening up the tie with a break of 73 as Higgins was forced to sit in his chair.

Breaks of 84 and 106 saw the Scot fight back to 2-2 but O’Connor kept his head, a final-frame clearance of 131 no less than he deserved in Cardiff.

And Higgins, for one, was full of praise for the man who bested him in the best-of-nine encounter.

“It hurts, of course it does. I wouldn’t be human if it didn’t hurt, especially knowing that I had the chance to get in front,” he said.

“I know there are things I have to work on and it’s up to me to do that, I’ll just go and see what happens.

“It was a clinic in not hitting the ball hard, I was waiting for him to hit it hard but he just kept it under control, and he looked the same from shot one to the frame-winning ball so well done to him.”

Watch the Welsh Open LIVE on Eurosport and Eurosport Player, with analysis from Jimmy White and Neal Foulds