A deluge at Paris Airport recently destroyed John Higgins’ cue, but armed with a new replacement he extended his quest for a maiden BetVictor English Open title today after a 4-1 win over David Gilbert in Brentwood.
The Scot’s cue was left in an irreparable condition after the protective casing housing it was flooded whilst flying home from the recent Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters.
That left Higgins despondent, but he is hoping now that his new cue can provide an impetus for him in the coming months, as he battles to remain in the world’s top 16. The 31-time ranking event winner currently finds himself in 16th position.
Today’s win sets up a last 16 meeting with either world number three Mark Allen or Lyu Haotian.
“When I was coming back from Saudi Arabia, my cue got ruined. During the three-hour stopover between Paris and Edinburgh there were monsoon levels of rain and my ski tube must have been sitting on the tarmac,” explained four-time World Champion Higgins.
“When I got back to Edinburgh it was soaking wet, but I just left it in the hall as normal. I went to Portugal on holiday and before I left I went to check my cue. The water had actually seeped inside and the cue is ruined. I’m playing with a new cue.
“It was soul destroying. I really liked it and when I opened the case up it was like a banana. The wood was all warped. As I was away to Portugal the next day, I just decided to go and have a good holiday and come back to see what happens.
“It is maybe a blessing, as I’ve gone back to the measurements I was playing with two or three years ago. I was going shorter and shorter and that maybe wasn’t suiting my game. It has given me a new lease of life. It is maybe a bit better”
Kyren Wilson prevailed 4-1 against Anthony McGill in a repeat of their classic Crucible semi-final from 2020 to make the last 16.
The pair contested an epic last four meeting at the World Championship, where a fluke eventually helped Wilson win 17-16 following one of the most dramatic final frames in snooker history. The frame score in the decider was 103-83.
Wilson went on to lose that final against Ronnie O’Sullivan, but a victory over Jak Jones earlier this year made him World Champion for the first time.
Today’s match was a more straightforward win for the Warrior, who crafted breaks of 84 and 80 this afternoon. He now plays either Barry Hawkins or Xu Si.
Wilson said: “To Anthony’s credit, he was one of the first ones who came up to me in Xi’an and congratulated me on becoming World Champion and said he thought I’d be a really good ambassador for the sport. That just shows the class of him, especially after what happened in that semi-final.
“People forget how good that game was. We were toe to toe the whole way through. Despite the fact there was no crowd we created so much drama. Whenever we draw each other it is something which always springs to mind.”
World number one Judd Trump extended his incredible winning streak this season after a 4-1 win over Matthew Selt.
The Ace in the Pack has picked up silverware at the Shanghai Masters and the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters. Having also been runner-up to Wilson at the Xi’an Grand Prix, Trump has now won 17 of 18 games this season. He now plays Fan Zhengyi, who beat Oliver Lines 4-1.
Essex cueman Ali Carter lost out 4-2 on home soil against China’s Wu Yize, while Mark Selby was a 4-0 victor against fellow Leicester potter Joe O’Connor.