CAR-CRASH MOMENTS BUT I’M NO WRITE-OFF
Higgins insists he’s always had bottle
JOHN HIGGINS says Stephen Hendry’s criticism has fuelled the fire for his Betfred World Championship bid.
Record seven-time champion Hendry compared Higgins’ Tour Championship final capitulation, when he collapsed from 9-4 up to lose 10-9 against Neil Robertson, to “car-crash TV”. The experienced Scot has endured a season of agony with five big final defeats and only the lesserregarded Championship League to show for his incredible form. But King of the Crucible Hendry’s cutting jibe has turned into motivation for Higgins’ title tilt and winning a magical fifth world crown would be the ultimate response.
The Wishaw Wizard showed trademark bottle to win a titanic quarter-final 13-12 against Jack Lisowski from 12-11 down.
That epic victory set up an stellar semi-final line-up with fellow Class of 92 members Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Williams as well as 2019 champion Judd Trump. World No.6 Higgins is desperate to reach a fourth world final in six years and derail the Rocket’s bid to level Hendry’s record seven crowns. “I could have faltered against Jack so it’s great to know I can hold myself together a little bit,” admitted Higgins.
“Some of the other players have said it’s been ‘car crash snooker’ I’ve been playing in some of my other finals so it’s good to know I can hold it together.
“Stephen Hendry said it was car crash. Maybe he was quite right.
“This season it’s not been classic John Higgins in those big moments. I’ve wilted a lot but beating Jack like that should give me a lot of confidence.
“You’ve got to have some amount of bottle to get to these finals and put yourself in these positions.
“You’ve got to scale some tough matches to get over the line. I’ve not done it in that crucial moment to win a trophy but that’s put to bed.”
Higgins, who lost three straight world finals from 2017-2019, has suffered some crushing blows on the green baize as he has agonisingly come up short in his bid for a big trophy this season.
But the Scot has shown amazing mental strength to pick himself up off the canvas time and time again to have another shot at glory.
And clinching a fifth Crucible crown this weekend would banish all of those brutal battle scars.
“I see it as a really good season, without a doubt,” said Higgins.
“If somebody told me at the start of the season I’d appear in six finals and be in the one-table set up at the Crucible I’d have bitten their hand off.”