00:06the other curiosity about Higgins in this tournament of course is that
00:10technically shouldn't have been in it at the cutoff which was the World Grand
00:15Prix he was in 17th place on the one-year list but of course Ronnie O'Sullivan
00:19opted not to play in this event even though he's won it a couple of times and
00:25to say that Higgins has played the house money effectively would be an
00:30understatement here he is one match away from another ranking title
00:49so really the match
00:53I'm a massive fan of Xiao Xin Tong as a player I think he's the future a brilliant player world
00:58champion
01:00you know he's been UK champion he's got a lot of things but the one thing I will say about
01:04him
01:04he just seems to sometimes go into a little bit of a slumber in matches where
01:08he doesn't appear to be on it and then of course when he is on it he can just pick
01:13up frames very quickly he can't afford to let that happen there's very little else
01:19to say about him that's not positive
01:37what a shot to play perfectly on the black he's in
01:41it's been one of his great strengths this week is long potting which is not necessarily
01:47the strongest suit for Higgins in the last few seasons but he's been getting two out of three
01:54throughout this event that's a good return and that was a cracker
02:07nine
02:09he said he felt very calm when he was putting together that winning 65 break
02:13in the decider yesterday against Trump he was able to block out the
02:18crashing disappointment of not winning it the frame
02:21before interestingly he didn't leave the arena either Trump did
02:27ahead of that deciding frame but Higgins stayed there
02:30he said he wanted to just focus on what he had to do to
02:3516 forget about that 10th frame and get the job done in the 11th which he did
02:40in typically robust fashion
02:5117
02:5217
02:5317
02:5417
02:5617
03:0118
03:2318
03:3022
03:3224
03:3423
03:3422
03:3622
03:3722
03:3922
03:4822
03:4923
03:5022
03:5022
03:5022
03:5222
03:55Twenty-four.
04:18Twenty-nine.
04:19Twenty-nine.
04:31Now, the black is completely free.
04:34It's just a question of can he run this through and get low enough to avoid the four reds
04:40above the black being in the way.
04:42I don't think that's going to be an issue.
04:48Thirty.
04:57This is Higgins' 60th ranking final appearance.
05:06If he wins today, he'll claim his 34th ranking title, just two behind Stephen Hendry, who's
05:12in second place behind O'Sullivan.
05:17Well, that's not worked out as hoped.
05:19Let's send a break by the look of it.
05:22Yep, definitely.
05:24Thirty-seven.
05:24I'm completely embedded in the couple of reds above the black, so that's that.
06:03Yeah, I mean, he's not taking any risk.
06:05He could have tried to send the cue ball to the other end of the table,
06:08but I don't think he wants to give anything away at all now.
06:18The threat of Xiao Xin Tong at long range is something that the top players are fully aware of.
06:25Although I don't think he knocked in as many in last night's win as I expected.
06:29A couple of very important ones near the end of the match he did.
06:36He will do everything he can to make things very difficult for Xiao Xin Tong early.
07:05One.
07:06Another great red from distance from Higgins.
07:10It's such a bonus if you're knocking those in.
07:15Apart from anything else, it really boosts the confidence.
07:19The long ones are dropping with regularity.
07:23Everything else then tends to flow.
07:27It's not the worst little kiss on the brown,
07:29because now he's got the shot to pop the brown and run down towards the reds,
07:32but I don't know from that left side of the table what reds are available.
07:36Maybe that top one, but that is not with an awful lot of room.
07:42If he went a fraction too far he wouldn't be on that one either.
08:14Maybe the rear 영상 turns out it's in the back of the row.
08:14But, this gives us a grasp of the window because it looks at the rim.
08:21I just made it off the first knuckle of the middle pocket there.
08:25He was worried that would not go in at first.
08:28Right.
08:48You hit the wrong red there.
08:50That was the problem.
08:51Six.
08:59Maybe not quite as spectacular as the one that really turned Xiao Xin Tong's tournament around against Elliot Slesser.
09:07Attempting a long-range blue to the green pocket, he fluked it into the right corner and has never looked
09:13back since.
09:14It's given a bit of a predicament, though, isn't it, in a way?
09:18Does he roll the yellow to middle?
09:20And that might, in turn, bring Xiao Xin Tong into the match.
09:23But he really made a mess of the shot.
09:27He hit the wrong red by a lot of it.
09:34So, break's probably coming to an end.
09:37To the rainbow.
09:50John Higgins, six.
09:54Six.
10:54In this modern era of the sport.
11:09Just the containing shot from Higgins.
11:12And that's something that's very difficult to do with this guy.
11:15Keep him cold.
11:29And it's very difficult.
11:30You're right.
11:31I think what will really hurt Xiao Xin Tong though is if John Higgins starts to score heavily from the
11:35chances he gets.
11:46He may think that the yellow is able to take him down towards the reds but I'm not absolutely sure
11:53that's the case.
11:58So he's not quite turned up yet in this final but it's a long match.
12:53three
13:02four
13:09that's fine
13:10well the table is awkward
13:12it's a
13:14some sort of a chance
13:15how big an opportunity is
13:17hard to say at this early stage
13:24certainly the chance to get back
13:26into the frame at least
13:36nine
13:45another one of
13:45the world champion's attributes
13:47is his fearlessness
13:48he's not afraid
13:50to go for shots that
13:53carry risk
13:54because he backs himself to get them
13:55we saw that last night again
13:57that's Mark Allen
14:0113
14:06it was
14:07somewhat modest start to the season
14:09as world champion and that was no great surprise
14:11yes because
14:13the enormity of the achievement
14:16carries a whole new
14:18layer of pressure
14:1920
14:19there's now a target on your back
14:21the fact that he was the first from China to do it
14:24but he's certainly
14:26recapturing the form that
14:28swept him to the crucible title
14:30we saw that at the world grand prix
14:32five centuries in the final against Zhang Ander
14:3721
14:38of course the other thing to say is that
14:40should he win today
14:41and
14:41there's a
14:42strong chance that he will
14:44he'd be the only player
14:45to have picked up two ranking events this season
14:49that run
14:51a different winner would come to an end
14:52but it would be him that ends it
14:54plus he won that
14:55big event in Saudi
14:56the big
14:58prize for the
14:59event with the golden ball
15:02so yeah
15:03things are starting to
15:04look up aren't they
15:04in regard to
15:05his season as champion
15:07yeah
15:08250,000 he won in
15:09Riyadh
15:10for two days work
15:13not happy
15:16big shot here
15:17if he plays
15:17to knock the top red of the two out
15:19and be on the other one
15:20at worst
15:23it's not an easy shot to play
15:25but he might attempt it
15:28yeah the red that's out of view
15:30at the moment
15:31what a beautiful shot
15:32what a delightful shot that was
15:38now he's either going to play the red over the pocket
15:40or
15:40the big
15:42shot
15:42the brave shot
15:43is the red he's looking at now
15:44if this goes in
15:45he wins the frame
15:46it's missable
15:56that is a very significant shot that he's missed
15:5836
16:02because the frame was at his mercy
16:04but I think he's lost it now
16:23and having promoted that other one so beautifully
16:28Higgins now the beneficiary
16:29Higgins who played the containing shot
16:32which actually didn't contain
16:33it was looking
16:34very likely that
16:35Jao would
16:36level the match there
16:41do you know
16:42do you know that's the most disappointed
16:43I think I've ever seen
16:44Jao Xin Tong look
16:44when he missed the ball
16:45he knew that he'd
16:46done a lot of good work
16:48but he kind of undone it all
16:49with that one shot
16:51he looked very disappointed
16:52to have missed that red
16:53usually
16:54you don't get a lot out of him
16:57pretty undemonstrative
16:58character isn't he
17:19Higgins was very disappointed with the level he produced
17:22having got to the Masters final
17:24against Kyra Wilson last month
17:26but
17:28he's looking a good deal sharper today
17:3414
17:38only needs the green
17:5017
17:5121
18:0621
18:1526
18:18Shao Xin Tong did the spade work
18:20in terms of promoting the key balls
18:22but then missed
18:23the cutback red
18:24to the left corner
18:25and John Higgins
18:26has gratefully
18:27accepted
18:28the invitation
18:30to clear up
18:31and so it's Higgins
18:33who's made
18:33the better start
18:34to this player's championship final
18:36here in Telford
18:37he looks confident
18:39fresh from his victory
18:40over Trump yesterday
18:41and he leads
18:42the world champion
18:43in Telford
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