00:00Three more to come in this first session.
00:01Ten required to be crowned Players' Champion.
00:09Higgins has won this before, of course.
00:11Five years ago, he trounced Ronnie O'Sullivan in the title match.
00:15Ten-three, made three centuries in that final, including a 1-4-2.
00:34Just his second appearance in this event.
00:36Made his debut back in 2022, lost in the first round.
00:42But since returning from his ban, what a player he's become.
00:47Of course, he was already a proven winner.
00:50UK Champion, German Masters Champion.
00:52But the way in which he played, all the way from the first round of qualifying
00:58to a calendar month later, the Crucible title was extraordinary.
01:08Four.
01:09And demolished the other two, class of 92 greats, in the semis and final to do it.
01:31Yes, against O'Sullivan in that semi-final.
01:34It didn't fall into the trap of being beaten before he started
01:37because O'Sullivan wasn't really playing all that well, was he?
01:39Let's be honest.
01:40Last year at the Championship, he met with some Chinese opposition
01:43and I think a lot of the players seemed beaten before they started.
01:46Ali Carter, initially, O'Sullivan beat.
01:50But he felt that someone was going to get the better of him
01:53and Xintong did it with a safe and despair.
01:58He absolutely demolished the rocket.
02:00So his reputation did not get him through.
02:1519.
02:2120.
02:4027.
02:4728.
02:56chance to get the reds open here
03:00well i don't know what he what happened there did he even play to move the reds i mean it
03:04was a
03:05huge target 35 very interesting shot i'm sure he played to brush into the bunch
03:13it's a bad shot though not to hit the target because he was always going to be on the right
03:19hand red
03:29that's a disappointing end has to be said
03:51it's a bad shot
04:18it's a bad shot
04:25certainly a bit of a surprise the way the zhao zin tong break ended there before it ever really got
04:32too damaging for john higgins
04:33i think the red up the table down the center he might be able to put it past the ping
04:45into the
04:45right corner but sending the cube all back at the same time would be part of the plan
04:59zhao zin tong he might be forced into playing this long red is a horrible
05:03and difficult shot
05:09is he playing it no he's playing the some sort of containing shot i think
05:24maybe he hasn't pushed that red as far up the table as he would have liked it is possible for
05:29higgins not easy this is their 12th meeting overall higgins has won seven of the eleven this is their
05:35third meeting this year higgins won in a decider to get to the semi-finals of the masters
05:41zhao winning in round one of the world grand prix on his way to the title
05:47five three
05:54just caught it too thick and you know
06:13from that place
06:15the
06:16the
06:16the
06:16the
06:30the
07:10Higgins four-blooded for the red.
07:13Again, caught it just a little too thick.
07:19Doesn't look at first sight as though he's done any great damage.
07:22No, I mean, you miss the red and you lose control of where the red goes
07:26and he's not gone anywhere too dangerous for him.
07:31No, I mean, you have to make every shot count against John Higgins.
08:04Not such a good shot, though, to hit the green like that.
08:08Now, John has been knocking these in.
08:10I think John will take this red arm down the table to the right corner.
08:13No one's saying it's easy because it's a bit of an examination of his Q action,
08:18but it's one that he has been getting very close to or potting all the whole week.
08:50He actually slightly hit the wrong side of that one.
08:54The red that Xin Tong is going to have to play here is a slightly risky one
08:59when you're a few in front.
09:00Could bring John back into the frame.
09:08Oh, brilliant.
09:09He's absolutely good at them.
09:10I didn't want to save him, but he's absolutely good at those shots.
09:13He's quite unlucky, though, to finish where he has in all places.
09:18I think he'll be playing safe here.
09:19I don't know if he'll be risking this blue.
09:27I think he saw him shake his head as if he didn't particularly fancy it.
09:59I think he'll be right back.
10:01Completely the one spot where he can't do anything with any note, really.
10:05He might be able to play behind the green, perhaps.
10:09I don't think he's going for the pot here.
10:13Thanks.
10:15It can be a frustrating game, Snuka.
10:17You've got to show patience, but has he left a path through to that bottom left and red?
10:24Well, that's a mistake.
10:26That is a mistake.
10:27I don't see why he couldn't have left the cube on the left side of the table up to the
10:32left of the pink there.
10:34I think he could have done it from the blue.
10:37Didn't want to be leaving this.
11:04If Higgins could pinch this frame, then that would put a bit of pressure on Charles' shoulders for the remainder
11:09of this first session.
11:10Higgins couldn't be worse than level.
11:16One.
11:18That's another good one to get back in.
11:24I think he's probably getting a bit frustrated, though, because it was a terrific shot.
11:27And if the cube just bounces away from the bolt cushion at all, he's got a very, very easy shot
11:32on the pink, on the green.
11:34He's too straight on the pink to get down for a red.
11:38So, I mean, I'm sure he's feeling a little frustrated the way this frame is going.
11:42He's putting in all the hard work, but he's still only 41 in front.
11:54If he is frustrated, though, he doesn't show us a lot, which is a sign of a very strong temperament.
12:29One of the things in Charles' favour is that the table's getting a bit messy now.
12:34The green is safe.
12:36The pink currently glued to the bolt rail.
12:41Makes Higgins' life that bit harder in the way of making a telling counter-attack in this frame.
13:02Interesting.
13:03At the start of the match, we saw the stats for the safety for the tournament,
13:06and Zhao was actually in front of the great Higgins.
13:0981% to 79%, which shows that there's a lot more to his game than just the potting and the
13:16brake building.
13:39in the dark.
13:40And the last step is turning apart.
13:40Thank you for that.
13:44Thank you, David.
13:44Thank you for that.
13:47Thank you for that.
14:09I mean, you'd be proud of that shot if you'd played the in off, but, yeah, I mean, look, the
14:16frame is going further away from Higgins, but, again, he's going to take on this long pot if this goes
14:22in, he wins the frame, I think, but, if it doesn't go in, Higgins has got a chance still.
14:34I think the cube won't too much there, so now he's, again, potting the black and moving away from the
14:40reds a little bit, as he plays all around the angles, I don't think he can hold very comfortably.
14:53He's done well there to hold, goodness, that was difficult.
14:56That was difficult, there was enough angle on the black to make that an awkward shot, and now, surely, he's
15:02going to level the match up, because his lead is 53 points and counting.
15:17Fine.
15:36He's too high with the black.
15:38So, an opportunity for Higgins to try and get back into this frame, although the high-value colours aren't great
15:45at the moment.
15:54Well, I think you saw the shot he's playing, and he's one of those where he was worried about the
15:59cube, well, he was trying to get in between the two reds, and that took up a lot of his
16:03attention.
16:06He's running alongside the pot, which was not simple, but having potted that great long red, I did think he
16:13would end up winning the frame from it, which he hasn't.
16:24He's had some trouble into that right corner pocket, right centre pocket, I should say, in the last couple of
16:32matches, Higgins.
16:33I know, didn't you just sense that he might miss that?
16:36I did, and as you pointed out, you know, he said yesterday after the match that he's not been comfortable
16:43on those shots.
16:46Don't know what the difference is, really, between, you know, the middle pocket and any other, really, if you're right
16:51behind it.
16:52But, look, it's an easy game up here, John doesn't miss many, but for him, of all great players, to
16:58say he wasn't comfortable on a fairly regulation shot to middle is a strange one.
17:04That's what he, that's what he said, and there was more evidence of it.
17:10So, just this red required, then, it's been bits and pieces in this frame from Jao.
17:16Seven.
17:16But the Miss Black has proved it would seem not significant.
17:21And he's going to be level once again.
17:23It was always going to be tough for Higgins to craft anything approaching a frame-winning break there, given the
17:30state of the balls, but break ended immediately.
17:38Thanks.
17:39And there's just nothing to choose at the moment.
17:4113.
17:42They're both playing well.
17:43The odd error, of course, part of the sport.
17:50It might well be like this, all the way to the winning line of 10 frames.
17:55We shall see.
17:56Two more to come in this session.
17:5921.
18:1121.
18:1828.
18:1928, any frame?
18:21Jaozin Tong, back on terms with John Higgins, here in Telford.
18:26Six frames gone.
18:2721.
18:2729.
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