Wilson was 8-0 down to Higgins after the opening session of their second-round meeting 12 months ago and was eventually thrashed 13-2.
However, the Englishman who has lost all three of his previous meetings with the Scot at the Crucible, initially dominated.
The 2020 finalist Wilson dominated the tactical exchanges – with Higgins appearing jaded from his dramatic late-night victory over Mark Allen – and scored heavily enjoying runs of 70, 95, 93 and 71 to establish a 4-0 advantage.
However, Higgins responded in fine fashion by compiling his 994th career century immediately after the break with a sublime 129.
Wilson demonstrated his excellent cueing with a 121 of his own in the sixth frame but Higgins then enjoyed runs of 73 and 102 to boost his hopes when play resumes on Wednesday at 10:00 BST.