By Saj Chowdhury BBC Sport Online, The Crucible

There was a poignant moment at the end of the Matthew Stevens and John Higgins quarter-final clash at the 2002 World Snooker Championship.

The pair had just taken part in a match of the finest quality, with Stevens having overpowered his rival Higgins 13-7.

At the end of the contest, the Scotsman went over to offer Stevens his congratulations and told him to "win it for your father."

It was a touching sentiment, but not unexpected, from a player who is widely regarded as one of the true gentlemen of the sport.

Stevens' father Morrell, who was also his mentor, died in February 2001.

Despite reaching the semi-finals of the 2001 Championship, where he lost to Higgins, he subsequently lost form and many believed that the tragedy was to blame.

But now it appears that the Welshman is almost back to his best, according to Higgins.

"He played great. He basically just totally outplayed me," said Higgins, the 1998 champion.

"Matthew can go all the way. He's a great player. People go on about Jimmy White being the best player not to have won a world title, but Matthew's a better player."

Pressure

Stevens said afterwards that he was delighted with the performance.

"After the way John played against Graeme Dott, I expected to have a tougher time," said the Welshman.

"I kept a lot of pressure on him and scored heavily. John missed a few balls and made life hard for himself.

"To beat someone as good as John 13-7 is unbelievable.

"I have stuggled a little bit this season. I've been working hard but not been getting the results.

"Over the longer matches though, I feel more relaxed."

With the semi-final, a longer first-to-17 encounter, Stevens will fancy his chances of making his second final.