00:00Needs three to be crowned players champion
00:40well if he's playing safe back to the ball
00:42it's dangerous with the red up there
00:47well there you are
00:48you know it was dangerous
00:50I know that he may have missed the brown
00:52but he didn't
00:53and he's given John an in straight away
00:57albeit
00:58if he pots the red to middle
00:59he has no idea where the cube was going
01:01it's crashing into reds I think
01:05I think he's at the stage
01:07where he probably needs to chance his arm a little bit here
01:09knock it in and hopefully
01:11someone will smile at him and he'll be on a colour
01:14if he gets too fancy he could miss the red
01:38yeah I mean playing it down the bottom
01:41had better rewards but
01:43it was a considerably more difficult pot than into the middle
01:47you can understand why he didn't want to take the risk though of playing into loads of reds
01:55now is this the moment where he
01:57if he goes two up before the play
01:59he might feel like he's broken the back of this match at long last
02:02but goodness it's taken him
02:05some time to get into gear isn't it
02:07he's well over
02:08300 points ahead
02:10of John Higgins in this match
02:14so in terms of the brakes
02:16it's been Xiao very much holding sway
02:23that was the fifth frame that Xiao has won this evening
02:26where Higgins has not potted a ball
02:27six
02:34thanks
02:36seven
02:57he's not gone far enough he looks horrified
03:00yeah
03:01I think
03:03that was really annoying because
03:05there wasn't a big gap to get through onto the red
03:07but had he done so it really opened up the frame
03:09and
03:11now
03:11he can't do anything with this
03:23and it wasn't the simplest of positional shots
03:26but I expected him to come out on top
03:28so it was a big gap
03:29so it was really like
04:42But the red that Xintong is looking at is anything but easy.
06:16he certainly had to didn't he you know he was looking a bit lacklustre
06:23even if he goes 9-7 up you know you still couldn't rule out Higgins coming back because
06:29he's made of strong stuff is John Higgins but it doesn't feel right now as if he's in the match
06:37and there have been times this week when he's obviously struggled he was 5-2 down against
06:41Elliot Slessor yes he got that extraordinary fluke on the blue which turned the match
06:46around but he still had to win three frames from there even after making a century off that fluke
06:54never in front against Mark Allen until the decider
06:59came up with a couple of outstanding pots under extreme pressure to win that one
07:07he's got that champions temperament that when the going gets tough he can find another gear it would
07:15seem yeah and in between all of that you know he peaked really when he played Sean Murphy I think
07:21he
07:21played really well and Sean Murphy was fuming afterwards why does everyone play like that
07:27against me because Murphy didn't do a great deal wrong
07:3336 days like that kind of almost speak for themselves with Jin Tong it's the bad day at the office
07:40that
07:40you've got to win 37 and that will elevate him to a higher level of play I think
07:58just 14 points from Higgins since he led 7-6 44 and it's looking highly likely he's now going to
08:06trail
08:079-7
08:1045
08:2852
08:55there is the applause for frame ball
09:00I think the biggest fear for John Higgins or anyone playing
09:03you know Jin Tong is a burst of brilliance and we have seen it now
09:09the last two frames
09:1768
09:19yeah it looked like it was going to be a very late night but
09:23all of a sudden it's looking like it may not be now
09:28one two fairly brisk frames here
09:30thanks
09:3669
09:57what a shot that is
09:5976 it wasn't easy the stun off the cushion straight down the middle of the table beautifully played
10:0577
10:0777
10:17and the question now is
10:2184
10:2685
10:2785
10:28has upped the stakes here in Telford
10:30he's making a push for the winning line in style
10:39and he really is a joy to watch when he's in full flow like this
10:4292
10:45doesn't appear to rush
10:4693
10:47the balls disappear at a rate of knots
10:57just this yellow
10:58and just this yellow
10:58for back-to-back centuries
10:59and he's 7th of the tournament
11:05101
11:06wonderful
11:10you've got to be a special player to pull out snooker like this having struggled a bit
11:15and he was missing a few earlier this evening but he's not now
11:20no exactly and of course it looked really frustrating when yet another frame had gone against him
11:25when he missed that red
11:26into the bottom left and Higgins cleared
11:28he thought
11:28is he ever going to break free of Higgins
11:31is he ever going to
11:32and he never
11:33let his shoulders droop
11:38113
11:39he just moved up a notch
11:41and
11:42it just looks like he's having a little practice doesn't he
11:45you know he's not
11:47119
11:48really breaking sweat here
11:49just
11:51waltzing around the table
11:53terrific stuff
11:54the 126 clearance from the world champion
11:57showing just why he is
11:59the Crucible King
12:01John Higgins has got to win the last three
12:03Xiao Xin Tong on the cusp
12:05leading
12:069-7
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