1 year ago
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John Higgins has reached 3 finals since winning his past satellite rubric successful 2011| Venue: Crucible Theatre, Sheffield Dates: 15 April-1 May |
| Coverage: Watch unrecorded connected BBC TV and Red Button with uninterrupted sum connected BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and the BBC Sport app |
Four-time champion John Higgins completed a commanding 10-3 triumph implicit David Grace astatine the World Championship successful Sheffield.
Higgins picked up wherever helium near disconnected connected Monday arsenic helium extended his 7-2 overnight pb with a fantastic interruption of 114.
Grace concisely interrupted the Scot - connected his complaint to the finishing enactment - with an 83, but Higgins sealed triumph with stylish breaks of 97 and 124.
Higgins volition present play Kyren Wilson oregon Ryan Day successful the 2nd round.
That best-of-25 lucifer is scheduled to statesman connected Sunday astatine 10:00 BST.
Meanwhile, Anthony McGill produced a superb show to instrumentality a 6-3 overnight pb against 2019 victor Judd Trump.
The Scot, 32, was described arsenic the "grenade everyone wanted to avoid" erstwhile the first-round draw was conducted, with McGill - who reached the past 4 successful 2020 - known for his pugnacious matchplay and fantabulous temperament.
Trump, who won 13-11 successful their last-16 gathering a twelvemonth ago, made the cleanable start, however, arsenic helium rattled disconnected an 89 interruption and past capitalised connected a McGill mistake to instrumentality the archetypal 2 frames.
Runs of 77 and a brilliantly-constructed 119 drew McGill level astatine the interval and, portion Trump regained the pb with a 53 successful the next, his hostile reeled disconnected 3 frames successful a enactment with breaks of 87, 60 and 59.
A nervy last framework of the league saw some players spurn opportunities, earlier Trump missed a hard brownish to the apical country pocket.
It handed McGill the accidental to wide the remaining colours and instrumentality a three-frame cushion into Wednesday afternoon's deciding league (14:30 BST)
Higgins delivers informing to rivals
Higgins, 47, turned nonrecreational successful 1992 and has been an ever-present astatine the Crucible since 1995, becoming 1 of the modern-day greats by accumulating 31 ranking titles and 9 Triple Crown successes.
And this show against English qualifier Grace - 25 years connected from his archetypal satellite rubric - provided an ominous reminder of his capabilities aft arriving successful Sheffield connected the backmost of a hard play that has seen him gaffe down the satellite rankings to 11th.
"I'm feeling bully astir scoring if I get my chance, which I deliberation you ever request to bash here," Higgins told BBC Sport.
"You request to person sessions present against the champion players wherever you tin spell connected a spot of a tally and sound successful immoderate breaks and I consciousness susceptible of that this year.
"As you get older if you tin bash it [win] arsenic speedy and casual arsenic imaginable it tin lone beryllium a payment aboriginal successful the tournament."
While Grace talented him respective casual starters, Higgins' cueing looked successful good touch.
He showcased his break-building qualities with his 935th and 936th vocation centuries, portion besides making sizable contributions of 51, 98, 66, 67 and 97 implicit the people of the lucifer to reason things earlier Tuesday's mid-session interval.
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