00:00Each show with a break of 88 to level up once again.
00:10As we mentioned Higgins looking to become the 14th different winner in 14 tournaments in the ranking events this season.
00:17Zhao by the same token looking to become the first multiple ranking event winner having won the World Grand Prix
00:23a couple of weeks ago.
00:40Thank you very much.
01:06one
01:07he played that
01:08he wasn't much angle there
01:11he could have potted it
01:13and the cubal could have gone into the jaws
01:15but he managed to sort of shape the cubal round
01:18that was a good shot
01:23a bit straight on the black
01:26he's got to force this a little bit
01:28which makes it not the most appealing shot to be playing
01:32well that would be the way he got on the red anyway
01:35to get on the red he would have to force it
01:37so he decided that the red up the table
01:39is how he's going to keep the break going
01:50nine
01:59a lot of table
02:02for that red to travel
02:04but
02:04do you need to help switching it off
02:06he just bags himself to get those
02:11thanks Paul
02:13some noise in the auditorium
02:15which hopefully is addressed
02:1716
02:18yeah
02:19something happened on somebody's phone I think
02:21some
02:22some noises
02:31goodness
02:32he got that cubal to roar back didn't he
02:3417
02:37he really did get hold of that
02:39he's got incredible
02:41I'm not going to say cue power
02:43but he's got the ability to sort of
02:45make that cue and come back quickly
02:47I think it's the speed and the timing
02:50rather than
02:51I've seen players with
02:52a lot of cue power
02:54and they
02:55hit the ball a little differently
02:56to the way that Xin Tong does
02:57he's got impeccable timing
02:58thanks
03:00the cue will flew
03:02back through the bunch
03:11I mean you'd say that Judd Trump's got real cue power
03:14you know the
03:14the way he almost muscles
03:16the ball back
03:17but he doesn't quite
03:18happen in the same way with Xin Tong
03:2023
03:4524
03:4724
03:4825
04:0525
04:1530.
04:3637.
04:4838.
04:50It was quite difficult to get to the top side of the blue
04:53because you had to really power it, if you like,
04:57because to get to that high angle.
05:00So he's kind of mid-range on the next ball.
05:03As a left-hander, he might be able to get to that right-hand red.
05:2243.
05:3444.
05:42Well, he's a little bit short on this black,
05:45which can work one of two ways.
05:47It could be that he gets into the bunch.
05:53Oh, goodness me.
05:55Look, the other way is, as you were saying, you didn't get on it properly.
05:59I thought that was going to drop still.
06:13Xiao was really building up a head of steam there.
06:16He made 88 to level the match and got him with another good red.
06:21It was flowing nicely, but it was a miscible black.
06:26Happily for him.
06:27Doesn't appear as though he's landed on a red, so...
06:33Looks like a safety for Higgins.
06:34He might play this red up into the yellow pocket, I think,
06:37with a view to being on the black, obviously, and not leaving one.
06:43Looks good, doesn't it?
06:44Wow.
06:44How does that sound?
06:45Applause.
06:50No.
06:57No.
07:07No.
07:09No.
07:11No.
07:13ALEWRAENT
07:21well he didn't try to go twice across
07:24he tried to go directly into the bunch
07:26and did it off one two three cushions
07:29I don't think he's on one
07:31but the look on John's face
07:33it was not meant to go
07:36zigzagging across the table into the reds
07:38by any means
08:11I don't think he's on one
08:28nine
08:29well that's a brilliant shot
08:30I mean it's a very acute angle
08:32you can see it from the side camera
08:35but he had to just creep it into the middle
08:37terrific shot
08:41please we need to make sure the phones are at least on silent
08:44twice now the phones are going off this frame
08:46and it's a very important passage of play
08:49I hope that's not going to continue
08:50great shot this
08:53please just make it sure it's switched off now
08:55it wasn't without risk either was it
08:57because if he caught the far jaw
09:00he could have left it for Zhao
09:03but Higgins looks pretty relaxed
09:04I think he's enjoying himself today
09:07in a way that perhaps he wasn't
09:08in the Masters final
09:10when he underperformed against Karim Wilson
09:11I think he's relishing the battle
09:15against the world champion
09:17yeah I think one thing you can say about Higgins
09:19is you know he's up for the fight isn't he
09:21you know he's up for the fight
09:22he's played everybody
09:24over many years
09:27over a number of eras of the game
09:29let's be honest
09:32you can go back to the Davis era
09:35and through Hendry and you know his contemporaries
09:39O'Sullivan Williams
09:39and you know you've got the world champion
09:42from China
09:43but he's competing against them all isn't he
09:46so he's seen it all
09:48whether he wins or loses
09:49he'll roll his sleeves up
09:50and give his all in this match
09:58it's not a particularly good case
09:59he's on the first red of the three
10:02next to each other
10:0322
10:04I don't think you can underestimate
10:05the significance of beating Trump
10:07for a second straight time
10:09remember Trump had won 14 of their previous 15
10:12before they played at the Masters
10:15Higgins won that one from behind
10:17and of course won again yesterday
10:18in a real rollercoaster
10:23so that would have given him
10:24a real confidence boost
10:29well that red going on top of the green
10:31is not in his interest at all
10:32it makes the clearance very difficult
10:34in this visit
10:5928
11:2029
11:5035
11:57Well finished completely the wrong side of the red
12:05New innovation this week ref cam
12:3836
12:41This one drops
12:46It's strange because I thought Xiao Xin Tong's black was in
12:49but I wasn't sure that red was in
12:55Now it gets interesting here because as we pointed out earlier on in the break that red
12:59Went next to the green
13:0143
13:02What is his plan?
13:04Is he gonna
13:04Is he gonna try and swing it into play here?
13:08Or is he gonna play on the blue and then get the snooker?
13:13I guess it was not really a John Higgins sort of shot there
13:1544
13:16At that point
13:19He could try and disturb the red and green here
13:21Or he could just play
13:23To land behind the red and snooker in behind the green
13:41Which I think he's gonna do
13:43I don't know if the red goes to the right corner
13:4549
13:46He's got an absolute cast iron snooker here
13:50So
13:50Xin Tong is sure to be playing his next shot
13:53Of
13:54Various cushions
13:56It's a question of how many cushions
13:57John Higgins
13:5849
13:58That's match play for you
13:59And that has to be the right way of going about what he's achieved there
14:29All in the miss?
14:31John Higgins full
14:32Yes
14:33It's all about not leaving the red here
14:35Because if he does
14:35With the colors on their spots
14:37Surely gonna be
14:386-5 Higgins
14:39He's already 11 in front
14:408
14:429 in front I should say
14:44I think he's trying to go
14:45Two cushions
14:46Hit the bottom
14:46Part of the red
14:49It's an unpleasant
14:50Snooker to be in
14:51Because even if he hits it
14:52You feel his next shot's gonna be tough as well
14:56Twice across
15:01And he's played it
15:02Ever so well
15:03But like I say
15:04He's either gonna go for this red up the table
15:07Or
15:08Nail him in behind the black
15:09So he escaped it for the moment
15:12There could be more punishment to come
15:15If he has in tongue
15:29I think he believes it goes
15:30Yes
15:31It passes the
15:33The blue
15:35Well
15:36He thought it did anyway
15:40In the middle
15:40All right
16:07Go
16:07Go
16:07Go
16:07Go
16:39Now, have you got the snooker here or not?
16:40There might be just a little bit of the red available.
16:43Can you just sneak past the black?
17:18I'm not sure what he played there, but it definitely wasn't that.
17:22So, John, this is a frame that Zhao was 44 in front in with an early break, and he just
17:30can't shake John off, and he can't quite get ahead of him.
17:33He did lead at 4-3.
17:37But at the moment, it could be that he's going behind again here.
17:40He just came a little short on the black, didn't he, when he was going nicely on 44.
17:46Missed the cutback into the left corner by a smidgen.
17:57And that has allowed Higgins back into this frame to the point where he's now firm favourite
18:03to win it.
18:25Yeah, well, only these three bolt colours is all he requires.
18:35She's not the first, but it looks like another one that's gone away from Xin Tong.
18:45Six.
19:00Nine.
19:02Nine.
19:03Six.
19:07Six.
19:09Six.
19:11Six.
19:16so just this brown then as Neil mentioned
19:2313
19:23and another important claim for Higgins
19:27because Xiao is beginning to flow again
19:29he'd made 88 to lead or to level at 5 all
19:32he was going nicely on 44 in this one
19:36but that Miss Black
19:3818 allowed Higgins to rest the momentum
19:42back
19:5318 under frame
19:54he's looking very motivated to become the
19:57oldest ever ranking champion and Higgins back in front in this players
20:04championship
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