Hawkins’ missed chance
Snooker
Barry Hawkins is rueing a major missed opportunity against a below-par John Higgins after he was knocked out in the semifinals of the Betfred World Championship.
The Ditton potter was far from his best as he limped out of the tournament, going down 17-8 to the four-time champion at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
The damage was done early on Saturday morning, as Hawkins produced one of his worst sessions of snooker of the season – allowing Higgins to build up a 16-8 lead.
And the Scotsman needed just one frame to set up a final against defending champion Mark Selby, which he clinched with a century to dash Hawkins’ dreams for another year.
The left-hander was positive after the match, reflecting on a superb season – where he won the World Grand Prix and cemented his place in the top-16, ensuring he will be back in Sheffield this time next year.
But he could not escape the fact that he under-performed in his third world semi-final, when he knew beforehand that he needed to improve on his quarter-final display against Stephen Maguire.
“I struggled from the off and could not get any momentum going. I dragged John down in the match, I played so bad,” Hawkins said.
“He did not play well either and I think I dragged him down. I was missing and then he started missing, we dragged each other down a little bit.
“If I started playing well, I would have got his level up a little bit. It is a bit disappointing but I am not going to beat myself up.
“There were loads of opportunities, you won’t catch too many days where John plays like that. It was so frustrating, I was trying and trying.
“I was digging in as much as I could but I kept missing and losing the white ball all the time.
“It is a horrible place to be when it gets like that. It can get a little bit embarrassing but I have enough experience to know it is just a bad day at the office.
“I will be back next year. I have had a great season and got to another semi-final, so I can’t be too upset.”
The evening session was simply a procession, as Hawkins entered the arena knowing he needed to win 10 frames on the bounce to reach his second final.
Higgins rattled in a century to wrap up the match, leaving Hawkins to reflect on a torrid third session – where he lost six of the eight on offer.
A series of missed simple shots and loose safety let Higgins in, and the Scotsman – although far from his best – routinely cleared.
“I am pleased, I did not give up,” Hawkins said.
“There was a point during that match where I felt like just smashing the reds everywhere but that is not me – I was that close to doing it but I thought it was disrespectful to John.” The Snooker World Championship was live on Eurosport and Eurosport Player, with Colin Murray and analysis from Jimmy White and Neal Foulds.