00:00On table 1, 1-0. First to six to go through.
00:04And the winner to play either Chris Wakelin or Zhao Guadong in the quarterfinals.
00:08They're in action on table 2 this evening.
00:11The feature on table 1, Mark Selby, who's had a wonderful season.
00:17Winning the UK Championship, the Champion of Champions, and now the Championship League.
00:21The invitational version of that tournament.
00:24For the third time in a row in Leicester, his hometown.
00:30So we'll be playing Jack Lazowski, so that should be a cracker.
00:35From 7 o'clock UK time.
01:20Higgins has never lost that desire to compete.
01:23That's why he's still out there in his 51st year.
01:27He's experimented with various different queues over the last few seasons.
01:31Worked on his fitness.
01:33Got into spinning classes for a while.
01:39As he goes in off.
01:42I think he had plans to get back into some physical workouts.
01:51In order to stay at the top of the game for as long as he can.
01:55A game he still loves to play.
02:02Robertson is now 44.
02:03He celebrated that birthday last week.
02:07And he has always kept himself in good shape.
02:32Oh, that's a very handy little rub off the brown.
02:35Robertson getting lucky there.
02:38He snookered Higgins on all reds.
02:55No major drama though for Higgins to just nestle into that tight cluster of reds.
03:00So, no damage done for him.
03:17Yes, Higgins is currently just over 30,000 points behind Elliot Slessor.
03:23Who's in 12th place on that one-year list.
03:26The final qualifying place for the Tour Championship.
03:29Of course, there's a couple more tournaments after this one.
03:32That count in qualifying for that 12-man event.
03:43Next week's Welsh Open.
03:46And the World Open to follow where Higgins will be defending his title in Yushan.
03:53But that's a mistake from Higgins.
03:55Unusually so for him to leave the red for Robertson from long range off the safety.
04:00So, a chance for Robertson to get back in.
04:03He was in first in the opening frame.
04:05Missed the blue.
04:13Oh, and he's hit that too thick.
04:15Well, you saw him testing the trueness of the table at the end of the first frame.
04:20Presumably because he felt it wasn't true.
04:24And he was up there pretty quickly knowing that he'd missed the potting angle.
04:29He was trying to hold for the black, of course.
04:31Which is why he played it at that pace.
04:34One.
04:35But it could be a very expensive mistake for Robertson as the blue proved to be in frame one.
04:55What an opportunity this is for Higgins to build, at the very least, a sizeable lead.
05:11The other players in the field, of course.
05:18We're talking about the top 16 on the one-year list coming into this tournament.
05:22Chris Wakelin, as mentioned, plays Yadwudong this evening.
05:26Judd Trump, who's won this a couple of times, plays Yeo Yulong.
05:30Mark Williams, who hasn't yet won this tournament, plays Barry Hawkins.
05:39That's not worked out quite as he wanted.
05:41He's thinner on this red than he needed to be.
05:4316.
05:51Sean Murphy, who's had a great season.
05:55Won the British Open.
06:00Runner-up at the German Masters recently.
06:09And was also runner-up this season to Mark Williams.
06:25That's a good recovery shot.
06:29That was a tricky red.
06:32Yes, Murphy also runner-up at the Xi'an Grand Prix, so he's had a very consistent season.
06:37He will be playing Zhang Ander, who, of course, was the finalist at the World Grand Prix a couple of
06:46weeks ago to Zhao Zintong.
06:49Zhao himself will play Elliot Slessor.
06:53Wu Yuzer and Mark Allen are on the table at the moment, next door.
06:58And, of course, Mark Selby plays Jack Lasowski on table one tonight.
07:02So, that's the line-up of players for this week.
07:14Hmm.
07:15Not easy.
07:17And caught it a little too thick.
07:19So, Robertson's miss red from distance when he was playing it at a slow pace to hold for the black
07:24has not proved too expensive this time.
07:34One.
07:37One.
07:39One.
07:58It's important for Robertson to establish himself, but as you can see, that's gone wrong immediately.
08:03He's managed to snooker himself on the potting angle of the black.
08:09He'll be disappointed with the missed blue in the first frame, which cost him the frame.
08:14Higgins made 70 off it.
08:24The black is some way away from the pocket, so he's got to be careful here in trying to pot
08:28it cushion first.
08:29It's not as though it's right over the hole by any means.
08:35He's done well there.
08:36That was a good shot.
08:37Well controlled.
08:40Eight.
08:55Nine.
09:10wow
09:11no
09:13well again I think
09:15maybe a case of divided concentration
09:18thinking more about the cannon he wanted for his next red
09:21and he's missed the black
09:24quite a few errors from Robertson in the early running
09:37not the start that man had in mind
10:04the pod on the black is easy enough
10:06but it's position that's the problem for Higgins
10:08it's a very thin cut
10:10so controlling the cue ball
10:13not easy for his next ball after
10:18this colour
10:27really had to just feather that into the pocket
10:30and he's played it very well actually
10:31it's about as good as he could do from there
10:40so one good pot into the centre here
10:42and Higgins could be back in business
10:50nine
10:54sixteen
11:07sixteen
11:17seventeen
11:22we'll use a one the opening frame
11:24on table two by the way
11:26so
11:27he leads Mark Allen
11:28one nil
11:29Allen in early in the second
11:43he's done well there just to sneak past the edge of the red
11:47had he hit the red there
11:48just cannoned it slightly
11:49he would have been out of position
12:01twenty five
12:17very early days
12:18it's a small sample size but
12:22Higgins has started much the better
12:27another nice cannon
12:28to stay on the red
12:30and open
12:31the other one up in the process
12:33so this is now
12:34looking like a frame winning chance for Higgins
12:40thirty-six the lead
12:42so
12:43he won't need any of those
12:45reds
12:45close to the left side cushion
12:56thirty-three
12:57thirty-three
13:1840
13:23You get 15,000 pounds and points just for showing up in this tournament
13:27Of course, that's a reward for being among the top 16 on the one-year list.
13:34Higgins, as explained already, 17th,
13:37but got into the tournament with O'Sullivan's withdrawal.
13:40He won't be thrilled with that one, though.
13:43He's not come far enough for the pink.
13:45And the frame isn't won yet.
13:4845 the difference.
13:52And he did that pink and another red to make sure,
13:55so it's the green instead.
14:02Oh, and he's overcut that by a margin,
14:04so that'll disappoint Higgins.
14:06That's a let-off for Robertson,
14:07and he's hit that so badly that he's actually not on his intended red.
14:16Which has turned out in his favour.
14:23Didn't come far enough, underhit it.
14:35Robertson taking the opportunity to open the reds that he will need
14:38for an effective counter-attack in this frame.
14:41So the difference, 45, still 59 there.
14:45Higgins looking for a red and a high-value colour to make it 2-0.
14:49And then we are higgins looking for a red and a half-value colour.
15:21begins taking the opportunity to push one of those reds safe again
15:32Mark Allen has gone 51 in front of Wu Yizza in the second frame on table 2
15:37Wu took the first
15:39there's still 83 points available
15:53Thank you
16:28The red wasn't safe enough from Robertson
16:32So Higgins edging towards a 2-0 lead
16:35He's not over the line as yet
16:39There's still 51 available, good pot though
16:41From distance, that'll please him
16:46So one more red would do it for Higgins
17:15Go on Higgins
17:20Wearing the snooker off the yellow behind the green
17:22And trying to, in the process, push that yellow as close to a safe spot as possible
17:31Relatively easy swerve for Robertson
17:37But Higgins very much in control of this frame at the moment
17:40Firm favourite to make it 2-0
17:42I'll talk to you in the middle
17:42So
17:43I'm going to add a little
17:44I'm going to add a little
18:02But I'm going to add a little
18:15a packed house here at the Telford International Centre which used to stage the UK Championship
18:27we've had various different venues for this tournament down the years
18:32in the first year it was held in Clundidno and then it went to Preston for a couple of years
18:37Southport, Milton Keynes during Covid, Wolverhampton for a couple of years
18:43when Higgins and Robertson won it, Murphy also won it at that venue in 2023
18:59that was framed ball, it was close, oh hang on
19:02that little nick off the green nearly saw Higgins' fluke framed ball there
19:08as it is, this frame's still live
19:14just undercut it
19:19so there's still hope here for Robertson
19:21it's not the easiest table, both brown and blue are awkward
19:28and this is the third straight year that this tournament has been staged here in Telford
19:32Mark Allen winning in 2024
19:35against Zhang Ander and of course Kyron Wilson who's not here this year
19:39because he didn't qualify
19:42beat Judd Trump in a thriller 10-9
19:44one of three titles Wilson won last season at the expense of Trump in the final
19:57so what can Robertson do by way of a counter-attack here
20:02it's not gone his way so far
20:05missed a black in this frame when he was back in
20:08missed the blue in the first which cost him
20:19this would be a very good one to pinch
20:24seven
20:37eight
20:45not nicely on the black
20:47very thin
20:49of course he's got the pink
20:57but he's missed the pink
20:58it's not happening for Robertson at the moment
21:01so he's now missed all three high-value colors
21:05and that had to go
21:07he now needs snookers
21:10there's only 35 left
21:12so Robertson making an indifferent start here in Telford
21:16he was knocked out early by Jack Jones at the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong
21:23and that certainly sets the seal on frame two
21:26so John Higgins
21:29he's needed a couple of chances to get this frame one
21:34but he's certainly
21:37a little more assured
21:39so far
21:41in his bid
21:42for his first win over Robertson
21:44since
21:46the crucible back in 2019
21:48long time ago
21:4910
21:51pre-Covid
21:53that long
22:08John Higgins
22:0910
22:11frame conceded
22:12Higgins
22:13John Higgins
22:13doubles his lead
22:14Neil Robertson concedes
22:16not the start he was hoping for
22:18John Higgins will be delighted
22:21having made a 70 in the
22:22very promising start
22:23a break of 70 in the first frame
22:25he dominated the second
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