Higgins will have to up his game
John Higgins reacts after his semi-final win. JOHN HIGGINS reckons he’ll have to raise his game to beat Mark Selby in the final of the Betfred World Championship at the Crucible.
The 41-year-old Scot needed just one frame of the evening session to wrap up a 17- 8 semi- final win over an out- of- sorts Barry Hawkins, firing a 120 break.
Higgins, whose match against Hawkins was a stodgy, error-ridden affair, said: “I definitely need to raise my game.
“The good thing is I know what I’ve got to do. It’s one last massive game for the season and I’ll give it everything and see where it takes me. I feel absolutely fine.”
The final is a replay, a decade on, of their 2007 final meeting, when Higgins saw off a 23- year- old Selby who was far from the finished article he is today.
“It’s roles reversed,” Higgins said. “Ten years ago I’d have been a big favourite to win but obviously Mark’s the favourite this time and I’m the underdog.
“I’ll be nervous. As you get older I feel the nerves are harder to suppress. I’m sure I’ll be a bag of nerves before it starts but then I’m sure I’ll settle down and we’ll hopefully give everyone a good final.”
Selby, meanwhile, said it would be a dream come true to become a three- time world champion.
The emotion of reaching another Crucible final was clear for all to see as Selby bellowed “Come on!” and struck the table once he crossed the winning line against Ding Junhui.
The 33- year- old from Leicester won their semi-final 17-15.
Explaining his raucous reaction, Selby said: “It was more a relief than anything else.”
He had capitalised on a golden chance left to him by Ding, who missed the blue when looking like he might level the match and force a deciding frame.
Selby’s 72 break nudged him to a narrow victory.
“I told myself that even if I took two minutes on every shot, make sure you don’t do something silly,” Selby said.
“That was my chance and if I didn’t take it then I think the match would have got away from me and Ding could have come through.
“I made sure I didn’t rush anything even though the adrenaline was pumping.”