Higgins regains control
Having surrendered five consecutive frames in the opening session, Higgins benefited from a shift in fortunes at the start of the afternoon.
Carter, uncharacteristically loose, handed him early opportunities: a poor safety was converted into a break of 63, and a missed red in the following frame allowed Higgins to compile 81 and draw level.
The contest tightened thereafter. Carter responded with a composed 106 to make it 6-6, punishing a missed red from Higgins, but the Scot edged back in front before the interval with a nerveless 'shot-to-nothing' followed by a decisive contribution of 38.
Higgins seizes turning point
The pivotal moment arrived in a tense 14th frame. Carter appeared set to take control with a break of 54, only for a positional error on the final red to leave Higgins a chance. The four-time champion cleared to the black, stealing the frame and moving to the brink at 8-6.
From there, Carter’s resistance ebbed. Higgins required only a single break of 50 in the next frame to move 9-6 ahead, and although Carter briefly delayed the inevitable with a run of 65, the outcome was no longer in doubt. Higgins, never at his fluent best, proved the more clinical player when it mattered.
He now advances to a potential meeting with Ronnie O'Sullivan, should the seven-time champion come through his opening match against He Guoqiang.
Wu punishes mistakes to take command
While Higgins had to graft for his victory, Wu’s progress has been built on control and consistency. The first-time seed capitalised relentlessly on Lei’s errors in a one-sided opening session.
Lei repeatedly fashioned chances but failed to convert them, and Wu punished him with efficient break-building, compiling breaks of 93 and 92 to establish early dominance. A missed yellow in the third frame proved particularly costly, allowing Wu to clear the colours and extend his lead.
The pattern persisted after the interval. Lei briefly got on the board, but continued to squander opportunities, while Wu grew in confidence. Breaks of 85, 67 and 58 stretched the advantage, before a composed 105 century in the final frame underlined his superiority.
At 8-1, the match appears all but decided ahead of its conclusion, with Wu firmly on course for the second round.