The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Higgins stuns Rocket with whitewash win
John Higgins ruthlessly ended Ronnie O’Sullivan’s hopes of winning the Scottish Open with an accomplished display in Glasgow.
Higgins punished O’Sullivan’s mistakes to run out a 5-0 winner and book his place in the semi-finals.
O’Sullivan missed a red to the corner in the opening frame and watched as Higgins produced a break of 55 to win it and the Scot went from strength to strength.
After both players wasted chances early in the second frame, Higgins took control of it with a break of 109, then capitalised on a poor break from his opponent to go 3-0 up with a run of 117.
The Rocket then missed a red into the middle and Higgins took advantage with a clearance of 105 to make it 4-0 at the mid-session interval.
When the players returned it did not take long for Wishaw’s Higgins to wrap up the win, finishing off with a break of 72.
He will play Neil Robertson for a place in the final, after the Australian edged out Xiao Guodong 5-4.
Breaks of 114, 128 and 118 helped Robertson turn a 2-1 deficit into a 4-3 lead and although his Chinese opponent responded with a run of 73 to take the contest to a decider, the Victorian then rallied with a break of 79 to win it.
Judd Trump will play Cao Yupeng in the other semi-final today.
Trump ended the hopes of another Scot, Stephen Maguire, with a 102 in the second frame the highlight of his 5-2 win.
Cao took control of his contest by winning the first three frames.
Although Walden won three of the next four, the Chinese held his nerve to win the eighth and wrap up a 5-3 success. Stars claimed a huge victory over Gardiner Conference rivals Edinburgh last night at Dundee Ice Arena.
Anthony Mastrodicasa returned to the line-up for the first time in months and with less than a minute played a twoon-one break saw Marc-Olivier Mimar set up Justin Fox for the opener.
Teddies filled the ice to celebrate Dundee’s first goal, an annual charity event in aid of Ninewells Children’s wards, TayFM Mission Christmas and Wave102 Help for Kids.
Stars had further chances early on and Pavel Shegalo was forced into action to deny Gabriel Lévesque while Taylor Dickin hit the post in the fifth minute.
Travis Fullerton made a crucial save to keep Stars in front before Pavel Vorobyev did level the score at 6:33.
Fox netted another goal, this time on the powerplay, as his slapshot from the point flew past Shegalo in the ninth minute .
Dundee then found themselves with a a five-on-three situation but Omar Pacha’s men failed to capitalise.
Brian Hart extended the hosts’ lead