Higgins hangs tough with Trump
L First session of quarter-final ends with Scot just two frames behind
Grit, determination and resilience have been words personified by John Higgins throughout his career and the Scottish veteran demonstrated all those qualities to stay in touch with Judd Trump in the early going of his Betfred World Championship quarter-final.
In perhaps the most eagerlyanticipated last-eight clash at the Crucible Theatre, Higgins grimly hung on to trail just 5-3 in the best-of-25 contest following Tuesday afternoon’s first session, with frames nine to 16 due to be played this morning before the match concludes tonight.
Truthfully, Englishman Trump outplayed the 42-yearold – making a century and three further 50-plus breaks – but, from the brink of complete disaster at 4-1 down, Higgins did enough to remain within striking distance.
This is the pair’s first meeting at the Crucible since their memorable contest in the 2011 World Championship final.
Back then, a raw, exciting 21-year-old Trump lit up the tournament with his cavalier brand of “naughty” snooker, while Higgins was playing at his first Worlds since returning from a six-month ban for failing to report a match-fixing approach to the authorities.
That created an atmosphere that the Bristolian described on Monday as the best he has ever experienced and has vowed to use that memory as inspiration to avenge his 18-15 defeat that day.
The world No 4 hadn’t hit his straps in the first two rounds in 2018 – nervily scraping past Crucible de but ant chris wake lin 10-9 in round one before only really finding top gear in the final few frames of his 13-9 triumph over Ricky Walden in the last 16.
But yesterday he was back to strutting round the table with an air befitting his status as the natural successor to the great Ronnie O’sullivan.
The players traded the opening two frames, although Trump missed a good opportunity to move 2-0 ahead by breaking down in the balls on 37, before the 28-year-old pinched frame three with a classy clearance of 58 and made a fluent ton in the next to be 3-1 ahead at the interval.
A knock of 71 in the first frame following the 15-minute break saw Trump threatening to run away with the session but Higgins regrouped with a run of 74 in frame six and then did enough to take a scrappy seventh – narrowing his deficit to one. However, Trump did end the opening exchanges on a high as a break of 77 put him 5-3 to the good overnight – a position that both men will likely be satisfied with.
Higgins hasn’t won a world title since 2011 but he appears to have a golden opportunity in his quest for number five this year, with heavilyfancied Mark Selby and Ronnie O’sullivan having suffered early exits.
The Wishaw potter isn’t the only 40-something making waves at this year’s event, with 43-year-old Welshman Mark Williams finishing off a resurgent season in style.
Williams – who has won two ranking events this term, his first for six years – was playing on the other side of the wall yesterday.
After a high-quality session that saw two centuries and five further 50-plus breaks, he was locked at 4-4 with O’sullivan’s conqueror Ali Carter in their quarter-final. l Watch the snooker World Championship live on Euro sport and euro sport player with Colin Murray and analysis from Ronnie O’sullivan.