John Higgins builds commanding 8-0 lead against Kyren Wilson at the Crucible

The four-time champion made a clinical start with 136 and 137 total clearances.

John Higgins, left, was in sensational form against Kyren Wilson (Nigel French/PA) (PA Wire)

John Higgins reeled off three century breaks and three more over 50 to claim a scarcely-believable 8-0 lead in his World Snooker Championship second-round clash against an off-colour Kyren Wilson.

Higgins has had one of his most disappointing seasons with a string of early exits from ranking events but he cruised past David Grace 10-3 in his Crucible opener and laid down a stunning marker on Sunday.

The four-time champion made a clinical start with 136 and 137 total clearances, and a break of 57 allowed him to establish a three-frame advantage with Wilson’s table time limited.

Wilson continued to be glued to his seat as Higgins clinched the final frame before the mid-session interval – although a third century temporarily eluded him as he settled for a break of 77.

The one-way traffic resumed as the players came back out, with Higgins taking scrappy fifth and sixth frames while further breaks of 134 and 80 saw the Scot claim a remarkable first-session whitewash.

With the match resuming on Sunday evening, Wilson does not have long to lick his wounds as Higgins can contemplate the possibility of wrapping up a win in the first-to-13 encounter with a session to spare.