Zhou beat Neil Robertson 6-2 on Tuesday and was in scintillating form once again as he swept aside his boyhood idol at the Barbican Centre in York.
He raced into a 4-1 lead, and although Higgins staged a late rally to bring the match to 4-3, Zhou regained his composure to book a place in the quarter-finals.
In the afternoon’s other session, Ronnie O’Sullivan came from 2-0 down to beat fellow Englishman Robert Milkins to reach the last eight for the 20th time in his career.
O’Sullivan, aiming to create history as the youngest and oldest winner of the competition, fought back to lead 5-3 before Milkins staged a late flurry to set up a tense deciding frame.
Milkins has lost his past nine matches against O’Sullivan and missed two guilt-edged chances in the final frame as he crashed out of the tournament.
"I thought he deserved to win," O’Sullivan told the BBC. "I couldn't feel anything, I was just all over the show. I haven't got a clue any more, I don't understand how this game works.
"I had to grind out another win for my sins. It's a crazy game, it still torments me after 30 years.
"I gave up a long time ago, I just keep turning up and stinking out gaffs. I stunk it out today and I'll probably stink it out tomorrow."
Milkins told the BBC: "I just played a really poor decider, I could have won that but I'm chuffed I've just stuck in there because I always roll over against Ronnie.
"I put a fight on, but I'm really disappointed."
Later, world number 18 Hossein Vafaei thrashed Matthew Selt 6-1.
Vafaei will play Zhang Anda in the quarter-final after he sensationally beat World Champion Luca Brecel 6-4.
