Young Zhou sends Higgins crashing out of UK Championship
John Higgins got a painful box-seat view of the young talent set to succeed him at snooker’s summit, going down 6-2 to Zhou Yuelong at the UK Championship.
The Wizard of W is haw, a three-time winner at the major, had won all five previous meetings with the 22-yearold Chinese.
But Higgins was blown away on the Milton Keynes baize, mustering a highest break of 22 in the first four frames and missing a basic green to hand Zhou a place in the quar terfinals.
“I didn't really get anything going,” said the 45-year- old. “Every time I got in, it was scrappy and nothing was really happening out there. I can hopefully put it down to a bad day at the office, come back and play better.
“Zhou probably didn't play as well as he’s capable of, he missed a few that he doesn't normally miss. I really rate him asap layer. He' s come over, learned the language, wants to improve and ever y
time you see him he's always practising. I think he'll be the next player after Ding (Junhui) to break through and maybe win a really big tournament.”
Higgins’ s wait for a Triple Crown title goes on - the 2011 UK Championship was his last major triumph - and he hasn’t won a ranking event since the 2018 Welsh Open.
It was double disappointment for the Scottish contingent as Anthony Mcgill let a 4-2 lead sli♦p to lose 6-4 to Neil Robertson.
The Glaswegian, who came within a fluke of the World Championship final earlier this year, made an attractive century in the second frame and went 2-1 up. Mcgill looked in fine touch and totted up a break of 127 to take a decisive 4-2 advantage, but the Australian responded in kind with 132 and won the final four frames.
“I played alright, I just threw it away from such a commanding position ," said McGill. “Neil played well - I take nothing away from him - but they were my errors.
“I feel like I should be doing better at the moment. It’s not as if my game’s in a bad shape, and there are a lot of positives, but it’s a disappointing result.”