Here is a variation of a useful shortcut you might not be aware of. Just include the Shift key when you want to open a link in a new tab in the foreground rather than in the background. It also works for Control-clicks.
It is common knowledge that middle-clicking on a link opens it in a new background tab, but pressing shift while middle-clicking opens it in a new foreground tab. This especially comes in handy when you’ve got dozens of tabs open and don’t want to shuffle through all your tabs to find the one you just opened.