00:00John Higgins, he's done it before, he did it last season at the Masters
00:05and he did it at the Tour Championship
00:07when he faced an even bigger deficit
00:14on that occasion
00:19he was five down with six to play
00:26in the final
00:29so you can't rule him out but it's a long way back
00:42isn't that just the way when you're struggling a bit
00:44your opponent's playing well
00:48if Robertson was really firing today
00:51he would have landed really nicely on a ball colour there
00:53off a good red
00:55as it is, the cue ball's just drifted on a bit
01:15so you can't do it
01:27it's just the way you just go
01:29And in truth, Robertson hasn't had a lot of table time in this match.
01:32He's had a few chances that have gone astray.
01:35He missed a blue in the first frame and was punished.
01:40He missed a black off its spot.
01:43And there have been a few other errors.
01:46Higgins has played exceptionally well.
02:20Not easy and very close.
02:24So, Robertson gets another chance.
02:29The red over the pocket is covered, as you can see.
02:35He could make the plant without any difficulty,
02:37but it's making sure he's on the black in the process that he needs some care with.
02:47Which he's done.
02:48One.
02:49So, Robertson gets another chance.
03:09Eight.
03:21Nine.
03:27The victory in Saudi Arabia, winning that decider against Ronny O'Sullivan.
03:35That's put Robertson in a great position in terms of the rankings.
03:39He's miles ahead of Mark Selby in second place on the one-year list.
03:44Well over 200,000 points in front.
03:46So, it's given him a lot of leeway.
03:53Third on the official two-year list behind Kyron Wilson and Judd Trump.
04:08And like Mark Allen next door, Neil Robertson, I'm sure, will be gearing up for the world championship.
04:14Of course, he's a former world champion, but that was 16 years ago now that he beat Graham Dott at
04:19the Crucible.
04:19And he's only been to one semi-final since then at the Crucible.
04:25So, I'm sure that will be a very high priority for him, having another deep run there.
04:31He'd love to become a multiple world champion.
04:34That would elevate his career even further.
04:38He's already one of the modern greats.
04:48Roll, no.
04:49He's miscued.
04:50Well, would you believe it?
04:51Neil Robertson.
04:52Just when it looked as though he was going to start to fire, make a break of substance, a miscue.
05:02That won't do anything for his confidence.
05:11Looking a bit puzzled by that one.
05:15He's not left anything easy for Higgins, but it's a chance, nevertheless.
05:26Oh, he's cued it very well.
05:28Played with a degree of safety in mind, knowing he wasn't going to be leaving anything apart
05:32from the road he was taking, but he's not missing much today, Higgins.
06:00Higgins wouldn't be human if he didn't remember those two big leads he had over Robert.
06:08Oh, and he's Mr. Sitter himself.
06:10Well, there have been very few errors like that from Higgins today.
06:13I was going to say, he would be mindful of those two matches where he had huge leads
06:17over Neil Robertson from the cusp of victory and didn't convert them.
06:25Robertson still looking quizzically at his tip after the miscue, which has proved not to
06:31be significant.
06:33Or at least not in the way of a John Higgins break.
06:43And Robertson will still back himself, even though he's been a distant second best today.
06:47This is the miscue.
06:54He knows he can turn around a deficit like this against Higgins, so you just never know.
07:05At the moment, it's a remote chance, but if he can win this frame and the next one, maybe
07:12he can plant a seed of doubt in Higgins' mind.
07:36Oh, that looked ambitious.
07:41He was trying to get into the reds with a deep, deep screw shot.
07:47And it's not worked out.
08:05Spotted something on the cue ball there, so Julian Bell will give it a clean.
08:12Looks like he's got this red to the yellow pocket.
08:20We've got ref cam for this tournament, so you get a close-up of the action on the table.
08:37One of the best long potters in the history of the game, Neil Robertson, without a doubt.
08:43And that one was always flying in.
08:53Oh, but he's missed the black again.
08:57Well, that's three he's now missed, including the miscue just now in this match.
09:13So, things still not happening for Robertson.
09:18And to be honest, that was never threatening the pocket.
09:23There was a bit of body movement on that one.
09:33And he's a bit fortunate, with that in mind, that he didn't leave one for Higgins.
09:37But Higgins can play a good safety.
09:38That cluster of colours offering a very useful barrier.
09:42And it looks like he's got the snooker.
09:45And, of course, it's made so much harder by the fact that the reds are now perfectly spread.
09:55So, getting out of this is going to take a good shot from Robertson.
10:00And if he gets it wrong, it could be his last shot of the tournament.
10:13Higgins, a pass master of the tactics of this great game.
10:18You could have put all of your worldly possessions on him, laying a snooker there, which he has done.
10:27Packed crowd here for the first day in Telford.
10:30Tonight, it's Mark Selby against Jack Lazowski, table one.
10:33Chris Wakelin against Yao Guadong, table two.
10:35The winner of that match on table two will play the winner of this one in the quarterfinals.
10:46He's looking for a two-cushion escape there.
10:49He got absolutely nowhere near.
10:52Sometimes you'll see a player, when attempting that shot, play the first as a sighter.
10:58But Robertson was so far off, I'm not sure it was of much use to him.
11:04Still looking accusingly at his tip after the miscue just now.
11:08Full ball this way.
11:11Perfect.
11:12Marcel Eckhart is the marker, assisting Julian Bell.
11:43Quarter of a ball.
11:45Towards this way.
11:47I was going to say, I think it wasn't quite this far behind the back.
11:50Just a little inflection more, please.
11:51As that.
11:52Marcel Eckhart just getting Julian to do the necessary correction.
11:56Yeah.
11:58Okay.
11:59Everyone's happy, it would seem.
12:02It's not about hitting a red here for Robertson.
12:05It's about not leaving one with everything out in the open.
12:13Got a lot closer with his second attempt.
12:16John Higgins, four.
12:18It's going to go back again.
12:26This shot is always laced with danger, because if you catch your object ball too thick,
12:35then you can leave everything on in this instance.
12:38He got very close there.
12:40He's looking for just the thinnest edge off that red to get the cue ball back towards safety.
12:51And a miss.
12:53John Higgins, four.
12:56Yeah.
12:57So, he's going to have a fourth go.
13:00Of course, there's no jeopardy as regards a four-fitted frame,
13:03because he snookered on all reds.
13:11What he mustn't do is hit this red too thick,
13:13because he'll be leaving the frame and the match on.
13:21And that's what he's done.
13:22He's caught it pretty much full ball.
13:28So, one good pot and position here for Higgins,
13:31and it's going to be a match-winning opportunity.
13:34He's only eight points behind with those penalty points,
13:38but still has to finish the job.
14:08Seven of Neil Robertson's victories over John Higgins,
14:14of which there have been 11 in all in their 19 meetings have come in deciders.
14:27So, Higgins, with a few battle scars at the hands of Robertson.
14:46Not the cannon he wanted.
14:49He's still on the red to the centre, but...
14:52Seven.
14:56It's far from straightforward in terms of position on his next colour.
15:13And the pot itself is far from easy either.
15:31Oh, that's a really good shot for Higgins.
15:33That is a terrific pot to play it.
15:37Really positively like that.
15:39Screwing back off the top cushion
15:41to get nice position on the pink into the same pocket.
15:44Excellent.
15:46That might just be a match winner.
16:11Fourteen.
16:14Fourteen.
16:18Fourteen.
16:19He has stayed in the hunt on table two, winning frame eight.
16:23Mark Allen now leading five-three.
16:28Neil Robertson wondering if he's played his final shot of this match and this tournament.
16:38Fifteen.
16:41Still a bit of work to be done here for Higgins.
16:44It's not straightforward.
16:46He's going to be slightly hampered maybe on his queuing here by that red.
16:51Yeah, you can see the bridge from behind it.
16:57He's just about wriggled the pink in.
17:04Twenty-one.
17:05Where does this red go?
17:13The lead is just 13 points.
17:15There are 59 left.
17:21He's got the red up the table, but that's far from easy.
17:30It must be pretty tight, this one.
17:33From that angle, it doesn't look as though it goes.
17:39No.
17:40I'm not sure that went, to be honest.
17:42John Higgins, 21.
17:44So the break ends, and Higgins having missed it,
17:46may be a bit fortunate.
17:50But he's not left something easier.
17:52But that didn't look as though it went to me.
17:59This needs a bit of potting from Robertson.
18:04No, not easy.
18:05Particularly when you've not had much table time.
18:10And the red has been left,
18:12so Higgins' mistake hasn't proved expensive.
18:40One.
18:41One.
18:42One.
18:45well he's pushed a red onto the cushion edging that little bit closer to the
18:53winning line but not there yet John Higgins
19:1821 the lead now 51 left
19:228
19:409
19:41very good
19:50so this black red and another black and Neil Robertson would need snookers
20:01he's landed pretty straight on this red
20:0616
20:10he has got a bit of an angle to work with so if he can drop this in
20:13he should be on the black
20:16which will be much more
20:2417
20:25and it's there
20:47so barring a snooker
20:48as Higgins does the maths looking at the scoreboard
20:52it's going to be a resounding victory for Higgins
20:55and a little bit of revenge for those near misses against Robertson in more recent times
21:03of course Robertson will play on it's only the one snooker
21:05but Higgins now on the cusp of victory
21:09applause
21:11applause
21:49I think to lay a snooker out of a snooker which he may have done but it won't be a
21:52difficult
21:53one for Higgins to hit even if it is obscured by the yellow.
22:10Oh, that's close.
22:13A fluke to finish.
Comments