Higgins Secures Wuhan Place

Scotland’s four-time World Champion John Higgins thrashed Welsh youngster Dylan Emery 5-1 to qualify for the final stages of the Wuhan Open.

The 31-time ranking event winner endured a difficult campaign in 22/23, failing to go beyond the quarter-finals of a ranking competition. However, he has already improved on that this season, with a recent run to the semis of the BetVictor European Masters.

This afternoon’s victory over Emery was a routine one for Higgins, who fired in breaks of 61, 92, 115 and 57 during the tie. The Glaswegian is now set for a trip to Wuhan at the beginning of next month.

Hong Kong’s Marco Fu scored a thrilling 5-4 win over Iranian number one Hossein Vafaei. With the scores locked level at 3-3, the seventh frame came down to a black ball fight, which Fu eventually won to move 4-3 ahead. Vafaei forced a decider, but a crucial break of 86 from Fu saw him over the line.

Liam Highfield compiled breaks of 66 and 104 on his way to a 5-1 defeat of Jimmy White, while Mark Davis defeated tour rookie Liam Graham by a 5-1 scoreline.