00:00Final, former champion here John Higgins breaking off in the final frame of the session, 4-3 down now, trailing
00:08for the first time, Xiao Xin Tong was just eyeing a possible maximum break in the previous frame, left himself
00:14a tricky cutback black which he overcut but the most important thing from his point of view is he's now
00:21in front having been 2-0 and 3-2 behind with the chance to take a two frame advantage into
00:29this evening's final.
00:30Finale from 8 o'clock CET.
00:35Yes, and I think you feel that maybe roles have reversed a little bit. At 2-0 down, Xiao Xin
00:41Tong wasn't really in the match and you'd have thought, well, he probably would be pleased to get out but
00:464-1, that would be a result but now John Higgins is the one that would be very pleased to
00:51be 4-1 because he's started to become outpointed, outscored, outmanoeuvred.
01:00I mean, John will always be the consummate match player but sometimes just the irresistible scoring power of Xin Tong
01:06is too much for anybody.
01:07Yeah, no pots for Higgins since he led 3-2.
01:13Made an 83 in the 5th frame.
01:17Xiao's made 62-61 and that 81 just now.
05:11Yellow.
05:13So the break is not going nowhere.
05:15The shot that he knocked in deserved more.
05:18It won't get more.
05:21He'll nominate yellow and just play away from it and leave the cue ball where he's pointing his cue now.
05:30And he'll have to show some patience, but he'll have to show some patience, but he hadn't potted the ball,
05:38but he hadn't potted the ball as Philip said.
05:38It was a possible way in.
06:11He's got to show some sense, but he's got to play on the ball.
06:16He's got to show some time.
06:20and this time
06:22he is in behind the ground
06:23and not in place
06:26but he's massive
06:27trouble for John if he's not able
06:29to hit any red, I don't think he is
06:32this is a world
06:33of problems for Higgins
06:52I mean John is looking
06:53slightly bemused here
06:56this could be
06:58one of his old pals Steve
06:59Maguire shot where he decides to just
07:01launch and try
07:03and fluke one because I don't know what else he can do
07:08looks like he's leaving
07:09a red whichever way he plays it
07:38I don't know
07:46so is he just going to play
07:50to disturb a few balls
07:51or is he playing with a plan
07:53a plan would have to be a good one
08:03he's got a chance to do it again
08:06yeah
08:08he's happy to just sneak off one there
08:09it's a good effort actually
08:10you know he was in a world of trouble
08:13and of course before the miss all existed
08:15I can think of
08:16some senior players who would have just
08:18basically played out of the snooker
08:19and allowed the cue ball to go straight
08:21into the pocket
08:22yeah
08:28so it may try it again
08:30sneak an edge of a red here
08:32it was a good try first time
08:35it was a good try first time
08:44that's
08:45absolutely
08:45tremendous shot
08:47it really is
08:49he didn't decide to do
08:51you know
08:52sort of a launch
08:57just into any red
08:58he had a plan
08:59he had a plan
08:59it was a good plan
09:22one
09:23but not good enough
09:24as good as the shot was to be played
09:27it has not stopped
09:28Xiao Xin Tong
09:29from putting a red
09:30and
09:33now he's got a
09:34quite difficult shot
09:35on the blue as well
09:37because the cue ball's
09:38heading sort of
09:39down somewhere
09:40towards the right corner here
09:49I don't know if he's on one
09:51six
09:56it just feels a massive frame
09:58doesn't it
09:58let's be honest
09:59in the context of this match
10:00and this session of snooker
10:05and John Higgins is fully aware of that
10:07this is when he really needs to win
10:09he's got a point
10:11so
10:11I don't know if he's on one
10:12and he's on one
10:54yes he played it with a view to keeping it fairly safe and obviously Higgins could play that red
11:00down into the left corner but it's not much fun so there's worse shots that he could have played than
11:08the one he did
11:30so
11:45so
11:45so
12:46Very often do.
12:48We'll have they all finished.
12:49He got a bit of good luck yesterday in that decider, you know, against Mark Allen.
12:52Although Mark Allen did refuse a red to right middle, which could have seen him playing in the finals.
12:58And what is his 40th birthday?
13:03Anyway, Johnny's thinking I could pop this directly off the other red.
13:10Johnny's all out in this frame.
13:12You can sense it to get to the interval for each.
13:18I think he knows it's an absolute must win.
13:40I think he took the view not to actually try and probably, because sometimes that's the one way you can
13:44miss.
13:45He played it completely, pushing first off the other red.
13:50He could have done a bit more with the cue ball, though.
13:52It's not great on the blue.
14:10Again, the cue ball is kind of heading towards the top left pocket a bit here.
14:15I don't think he's going in, but he's not a million miles away.
14:21Played it well.
14:29Now, the man with all the experience and all the understanding of frames, someone who's good at reading signs, knows
14:36that this is quite a big visit to the table.
14:58He looked in a world of trouble, didn't he, when he was snookered with the reds spread far and wide
15:03and might have been tempted to have a wahoo at it, but played a controlled shot.
15:08The second time of asking, got out of the snooker.
15:11And although Jaud did not one in, he was left with an awkward colour.
15:16That's where the break ended.
15:19And now Higgins with a reasonable chance.
15:27Black and pink are not great at the moment, but the blue at least is available.
15:31Black and pink are not great at the moment, but the blue at least is available.
16:00John against 12th.
16:01Having to play with a bit of pace to get position, but Higgins will be very disappointed with that.
16:20Yes, I think you summed it up, really, the pace he had to hit it.
16:23That was the point.
16:24And John, I think, this part of his career, you know, to hit the horse hard, he loses his accuracy.
16:38Well, there was, you know, something of a bullet point, if you like, in the match.
16:48Didn't play it very well, did he?
16:50Because he didn't get on the red particularly nicely either.
16:52So all of a sudden, both players are looking a little bit under pressure to take what they can out
16:57of this session.
17:01Yes, both acutely aware of the significance of this frame.
17:06Chow looking for that two-frame cushion.
17:10And Higgins desperate for parity.
17:14He would have feared the worst when he missed the red just now.
17:18Straight back at the table.
17:27Oh, that's a really bad shot from Higgins.
17:29I don't know, he's put a bit of topspin in it.
17:31Sort of arced the cue ball back down.
17:34Eight.
17:34Wow.
17:37He's not played much of a better shot there than Chintong's miss on the black.
17:42But the only difference is John, with his temperament and his determination, can recover the situation.
17:48But it's going to take a good pot to middle.
18:08Yeah, it's getting edgy now.
18:10Now, most of this session has been free-flowing, quick-fire stuff.
18:13But the significance of this frame not lost on either player.
18:17A series of errors.
18:20Higgins left himself with a much tougher red than he anticipated.
18:26So Chow gets a further opportunity to try and forge this two-frame advantage at the end of the session.
18:32No, that's too high.
18:35Yeah, it wasn't easy.
18:36Yeah, I think the way he's playing, it's hard to see the potting angle there because it only just passed
18:42the black.
18:43If you're right behind it, it's easier.
18:45But there's something about that shot.
18:46You can't line it up well because you think the black's in the way from where you're standing when it's
18:51not.
18:53But that's not to say I expected him to miss it.
19:08So go on with another chance.
19:10And I think we have to make this one really count.
19:14One.
19:45Free?
19:50Yeah.
20:05Yeah.
20:39Good.
20:44That's full.
21:1311.
22:44But it's there if he wants it.
22:50Screwing back and across.
22:52That's a better shot.
22:58Twenty-seven.
23:03So, 37 points to lead.
23:05He needs to do a bit more.
23:11The two reds that are not involved in that little three that are close together, if he could pop those
23:17with high-value colours, he would be too many in front barring Snookers.
23:26Twenty-eight.
23:27I think he'll try and play on the red by the pink here.
24:04And he's got to be pleased with that, because not only is he on the red, but he's on it
24:07with an angle to get down for the black, which would be enough.
24:24Thirty-six.
24:25Thirty-six.
24:47I mean, he's got to go into the three reds here, hasn't he?
24:49I don't think he really wants to play that.
24:53But he has played it.
24:55And all credit, because he could have easily fouled out and rolled it in.
24:59He knew that he couldn't pair the thought of missing that black, and if this red goes in, we've levelled
25:06up the session, and this really was a frame where Higgins was all out.
25:14Forty-four.
25:14As Philip explained, well, chances came and went for the world champion.
25:25Higgins led 2-0, was pegged back at two each at the interval, 3-2.
25:30And then Zhao taking the lead with an 81 break, which might have been a maximum.
25:37And he was eyeing a 5-3 advantage, which would have been very useful and would have put a lot
25:43of pressure on Higgins coming into this evening's resumption.
25:46But Higgins has shown his mettle again, as he did last night, or yesterday afternoon, against Trump.
25:54And is still very much in the picture in his bid for ranking title number 34.
26:02Looking to become the oldest ever ranking event winner, of course, to Eclipse, Mark Williams, who set that record this
26:09season in Xi'an.
26:11He's got to get the better of the world champion to do it, but he'll be pretty happy with his
26:20first session's work.
26:2663.
26:3665.
26:4668.
26:4868.
26:5972.
27:0877.
27:17the old faithful the double no one's better at that than John Higgins and
27:24closing in on his 51st birthday still proving he can mix it with the very best
27:30in the modern game Higgins taking the last of the session he looks pretty
27:33happy doesn't he to have got out of that unscathed that four frames all it's been
27:39grossing stuff here in Telford and the best may be yet to come the final
27:43session from eight o'clock CT and their level at four frames all
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