John Higgins still loves the buzz of a close battle after emerging with a 6-5 win over Xiao Guodong in the Players Championship quarter-finals.
Higgins looked to be exiting the competition when he trailed the vastly improved Chinese competitor 5-2 at the Telford International Centre on Friday.
Xiao had produced an excellent display until that point, compiling breaks of 111, 104, 60, and 55 to move to within the brink of a semi-final berth.
But the Wuhan Open champion faltered with the winning line in sight, and Higgins pounced to win the last four frames and snatch victory.
The legendary Scot established a reputation earlier in his career as a competitor with one of the best temperaments in the game.
However, Higgins struggled in several high-pressure situations in recent seasons and repeatedly found himself on the wrong end of late fight backs.
That slide in confidence was reversed at the recent World Open, which Higgins won to claim a long overdue 32nd ranking trophy.
In that event in Yushan, the 49 year-old twice came from two frames down with three to play, and he went one better in Telford on Friday.
“I’m very relieved,” John Higgins told the World Snooker Tour after setting up a mouthwatering semi-final clash with Judd Trump.
“I’ve been on the wrong end of matches like that where I’ve been dominant, so to come out the other side is brilliant.”
“I was still enjoying the game. Xiao was totally outplaying me, but it was great. It was nearly a packed crowd, I was 5-2 behind, but I was still enjoying it.
“I was just hoping to make him win the game, but then luckily for me, he missed a couple of pressure balls and let me back into it.
“It’s always going to happen really. I’m going to have to rely on…I was relying on him missing a couple to get me a couple of chances. But I’m delighted.
“It’s a difficult game. I know some of the other top boys can make it look really easy winning matches and blitzing people.
“But it’s a difficult game for the mere mortals of us who are playing the game, so I could see Xiao was struggling a little bit at the end.
“I also knew he could flick the switch and do a frame-winning break, just in the same way he was doing in the earlier part of the match.
“But that’s what I’ll miss when I retire from the game, that pressure moment at 5-5 when you’ve got a chance to win the match.
“You can’t replicate that any time, it only happens in snooker in crunch matches in the business end of tournaments.
“You can’t replicate the adrenaline rush you get, and that is one thing that I definitely will miss when I retire from this game.
“I can’t wait [to play Trump], I’m sure it’ll be packed. I’ll be the second favourite – a big second favourite – but I think I’ll go into that game relaxed.
“I know that I’ve got to play well to have a chance of winning. Even if I play well, it still doesn’t guarantee winning.
“But listen, it’s brilliant and I can’t wait to play him. I’ll go out there, give it my all, and just enjoy the occasion.”
John Higgins and Judd Trump will duel for the second spot in Sunday’s Players Championship final on Saturday evening.
The opening last-four encounter took place on Friday evening, with world champion Kyren Wilson edging Neil Robertson in another dramatic affair.
Last week’s World Grand Prix winner Robertson led 4-1 and 5-4, but Wilson produced a lightning finish to shock the Thunder from Down Under.
The world number two scored breaks of 116, 57, and 89 to force a deciding frame, which he duly won with a terrific 134 contribution.
2025 Players Championship draw
(Match times in UTC)
Last 16 (bo11)
Judd Trump 6-2 Lei Peifan
Barry Hawkins 4-6 Shaun Murphy
Xiao Guodong 6-5 Wu Yize
John Higgins 6-5 Chris Wakelin
Neil Robertson 6-4 Stuart Bingham
Mark Selby 6-3 Si Jiahui
Mark Williams 6-2 Ding Junhui
Kyren Wilson 6-3 Mark Allen
Quarter-Finals (bo11)
Judd Trump 6-0 Shaun Murphy
Xiao Guodong 5-6 John Higgins
Neil Robertson 6-3 Mark Selby
Mark Williams 3-6 Kyren Wilson
Semi-Finals (bo11)
Judd Trump vs John Higgins
(Sat, 7pm)
Neil Robertson 5-6 Kyren Wilson
Final (bo19)
Trump/Higgins vs Kyren Wilson
(Sun, 1pm and 7pm)
Click here to view the latest scores and results
(snooker.org)
Featured photo credit: WST
