Higgins digs deep to find way past McGill
JOHN Higgins stormed from behind to knock fellow Scot Anthony McGill out of the Dafabet Masters and set up a last-eight tie with Welshman Ryan Day last night.
The two-winner fell 4-2 down and looked horribly out of sorts but he pulled it together when it mattered most and won the last four frames to keep his dreams of a third title alive.
McGill looked set to cause an upset on his first visit to the Alexandra Palace but eventually he succumbed 6-4 after four hours.
With world No.1 Mark Selby, who beat Higgins in the World Championship final in May, already knocked out, the draw has opened up for the 42-year-old.
But the Wizard of Wishaw looked far from his brilliant best in the early stages, despite a classy break of 89 – while Glasgow’s McGill held his own and came from 2-0 down to level the match at the mid-session interval.
Higgins, who has not been beyond the quarterfinals here since 2012, edged 2-0 ahead. But he wasted a golden chance to win the third frame when he twice missed while in the balls.
McGill l ost the tenminute safety exchange but capitalised when Higgins missed again to win the 38-minute frame and with that the match turned.
The 26-year-old appeared revitalised and, despite an early wobble, he drew level at the mid-session interval with a fine break of 122.
With momentum with him, McGill grew in confidence and won the next two frames after the interval to move 4-2 ahead
But Higgins never hides from a battle and he dug deep to win the seventh frame with a break of 67 before levelling things up in the next.
The f our-time world champion was well set for a maximum break of 147 before missing on 81 but he did not let that deter him as he closed out the match two frames later.
Elsewhere, Shaun Murphy set up an intriguing quarter-final with Judd Trump after battling past Ali Carter 6-4.