JOHN PLAYS TRUMP CARD TO EDGE WIN
JOHN HIGGINS pulled off one of the all-time great Crucible comebacks to keep his Betfred World Championship hopes alive.
The Wizard of Wishaw battled back from 7-3 and 11-9 down to beat England’s Judd Trump 13-12 in a dramatic repeat of their classic 2011 final.
“I’m still living to fight another day,” said Higgins, who has won five of his last six deciders at the home of snooker. “Judd was the better player and I was just hanging on to his coat tails.
“We keep having classic matches, he races off and I pip him. He must hate the sight of me. I’m delighted to win and get through to another semi-final, that was a tough match.
“He won a lot of frames when I was 50 or 60 points ahead. He must bring the best out of me because we’ve had some incredible matches over the years.
“You can’t stop shaking in the decider. There is no other venue like it with the pressure it brings.”
A deflated Trump said: “I felt unlucky to lose in the end. He missed that red in the decider and I ended up stuck to the black without a shot.
“He played brilliantly to go 12-11 up. He plays some amazing snooker and you just hope you get some luck against him and I didn’t.”
Higgins’s bid for a fifth world title continues today against another Englishman in the shape of Kyren Wilson who thumped Ulsterman Mark Allen 13-6.
Mark Williams beat Ali Carter of England 13-8 and the Welsh veteran will face England’s Barry Hawkins in the other semi-final after he crushed Chinese superstar Ding Junhui 13-5.