International Championship 2024 LIVE - John Higgins and Chris Wakelin in decider after Ding Junhui beats Kyren Wilson
Updated 07/11/2024 at 15:25 GMT
Hello and welcome to Eurosport's live coverage of the 2024 International Championship. We're onto the quarter-finals and first up we have John Higgins facing off against Chris Wakelin and Xiao Guodong playing Jackson Page. Then in the evening session Xu Si plays Gary Wilson and Ding Junhui plays world champion Kyren Wilson on what should be a thrilling day of snooker.
Higgins visibly angry with decision to stop Wakelin match
Video credit: TNT Sports
THat's us done for today
Join us again tomorrow at 5.55am GMT for the that semi!
on table two
Gary Wilson 5-4 Xu Si
CHRIS WAKELIN BEATS JOHN HIGGINS 6-5!
He pumps arm and fist at the crowd - he's delighted, rightly so - and meets Xiao Guodong in the last four.
HIGGINS 5-5 WAKELIN (24-65)
A mis-distance red to left corner for the match ... and down it goes! Chris is going through!
HIGGINS 5-5 WAKELIN (24-47)
Chris has always been a good player but winning last year's Shoot-Out has given him something; he's a more confident, authoritative presence now, expecting rather than hoping to win matches of this ilk.
HIGGINS 5-5 WAKELIN (24-33)
John plays a roll-up off the side and leaves one! Chance for Chris to finish the match and when he breaks the pack, that looks likely! if he can send down a traxing black, he's a big favourite ... and he does!
HIGGINS 5-5 WAKELIN (24-5)
In the meatime, he repairs to baulk, wobbling the remaining red into the yellow bag; he'll now address the green, looking to comeoff the side and into the cluster ... but he misses the pot! How often do we see that?! He leaves nowt, though, so we're back playing in and out of the pack.
HIGGINS 5-5 WAKELIN (18-5)
Chris tries a minger to right-centre, misses, and leaves a chance for John who gets away. He'll need to break the pack shortly, but if that works out, the match is his to lose.
HIGGINS 5-5 WAKELIN (0-5)
There are two reds in baulk which makes this re-rack territory – they're not in pottable positions, but our players are still going in and out of the cluster, to no avail. John, though, opens a few, so perhaps we'll keep at it.
HIGGINS 5-5 WAKELIN (0-5)
John misses a longun then Chris creams one into right corner, but on nowt, has to pin the white to the baulk cushion. John then misses his thin contact but hits second time, so we're bakc playing safety.
Higgins and wakelin are good to go
I imagine John has calmed down, but who knows how they'll play; neither was bang at it earlier.
A BONUS
John Higgins and Chris Wakelin will soon arrive to play their decider, held over from earlier.
on table two
Gary Wilson 3-2 Xu Si
DING JUNHUI BEATS KYREN WILSON 6-4!
Ding smashes the pink off the table, a right he'smore than earned. A 129 then a 123 mean he goes through to meet Xu Si or Gary Wilson, now the favourite to take the title.
WILSON 4-5 DING (0-111)
Kyren will, though, know he's played well, and as Ding enjoys himself clearing up, he grins in his seat. A second consecutiver TC is s there for the taking...
WILSON 4-5 DING (0-65)
A straightforward black for the win ... and Kyren slides it home. When he looks back, he might conclude that he lost this match in the first mini-sesh; no way, given how he played, should he have come out of tha down 1-3.
WILSON 4-5 DING (0-42)
The cluster fans out beautifully and Kyren will be fearing the worst. The way the table is multiplied by the way Ding's playing spells C U L8R.
WILSON 4-5 DING (0-13)
Whooping and hollering in the crowd after Kyren leves a red sticking out off the break and Ding punishes it into right corner. Another fine red follows shortly afterwards, and though he'll soon need to break the pack, he'll be planning to finish the match here and now.
on table two
Gary Wilson 3-2 Xu Si
WILSON 4-5 DING
A 129 TC capped by a glorious black sent long to the green not cut-back to right corner - even Kyren cant resist smiling - and what a match this is.
WILSON 4-4 DING (0-80)
Gently, Ding secures the frame and looks great whiole so doing. Kyren will have to play no-miss snooker from here on in.
WILSON 4-4 DING (0-47)
Ding makes hay, the white under his spell. He'll feel he's one chance away from the last four.
WILSON 4-4 DING (0-28)
Again, Kyren misses to right corner, and this time Ding clears up to the yellow bag, coming up the table off the green and knocking the pack off the black. He then takes a whole over a ball to right corner, knowing he's properly breaking the cluster in the process, sends it down, and this is now a chance to go one up with two to play.
on table two
Gary Wilson 3-2 Xu Si
WILSON 4-4 DING
An aggravated Kyren leaves himself inches above the blue, but finds a really good pot to coax it into the yellow bag. He can't get at the final red so lays a snooker and Ding, returing to the table needing snookers of his own, can't escape. On we go, and this is a really fun, high-level contest. I've no idea who's going to win, but so far Kyren has been the better player.
WILSON 3-4 DING (56-29)
It's looking like a best of three. Kyren won't need the red near the side and below the blue; parity is almost his.
WILSON 3-4 DING (14-29)
Oh! Ding makes a mid-distance red to left corner harder than it needs to be, misses, and Kyren punches down a similar ball, just about, then breaks pack off black. He's well set to level the match, and overall, I tihnk it's fair to say he's played the better stuff - though both have been good.
WILSON 3-4 DING (0-16)
I guess the danger of good form is you take on balls you shouldn't, and when Kyren misses a tight red to middle, he leaves a plant; Ding sends it down and this is a chance for him to score.
on table two
Gary Wilson 2-2 Xu Si
WILSON 3-4 DING
Kyren dishes, and i've no idea which way this match is going.
WILSON 2-4 DING (37-58)
Kyren closes the gap and there are no demons on this table, one red left and all colours bar yellow on their spots.
WILSON 2-4 DING (8-58)
But miss he does! A yellow at close-range! Huge moments in the match coming up; if Kyren can't steal, I dn't see him winning four on the spin, but if he can, it's a coin-flip.
WILSON 2-4 DING (0-37)
Ding accumulates. He's so deft and calm in the balls that you never expect him miss.
WILSON 2-4 DING (0-22)
Kyren rolls a red to right corner, dead slow, assuming it's going down ... but it clips the jaw and stays out. So Ding sends it home, clobbers pack off black, and though it's earliest doors, will expect to win the frame from here.
on table two
Gary Wilson 2-2 Xu Si
WILSON 2-4 DING
Kyren again got in and couldn't close out, but the frame was all him and he narrows the gap to two.
WILSON 1-4 DING (0-51)
A nice cut-back raises Kyren's half-ton, but that's end of break; he lands behind the brown so snuggles in and sits down, his lead useful but not definitive – there are no balls on rails. Ding, though, escapes well, landing softly on a stray red and offering only a tricky cut to middle on the same ball' Kyren can't send it down, but shortly afterwards he steers in a long one from on the baulk rail and will surely polish off the frame from here.
WILSON 1-4 DING (0-20)
Ding gets nowhere near a long one, played lowly for the black, so Kyren eases the outermost red of the cluster into right-middle; great pot. And a beauty follows, the pack offering options when bumped off the black; he could really use something major at this visit to reestablish himself in the match, and the tightest of reds, slid to right-centre, helps him do that.
on table two
Gary Wilson 2-1 Xu Si
WILSON 1-4 DING
Ding will be slightly dismayed not to have made a ton but he'll take his 84; he's two away, and Kyren must win the next, probably the one after that too.
WILSON 1-3 DING (0-77)
Kyren's playing well and getting a kicking.
WILSON 1-3 DING (0-52)
Ding will need to go into the pack at some point and a delicate cannon liberates one more red; he's not that far away from the frame, so it'll do.
WILSON 1-3 DING (0-16)
Ding eschews a long pot – he's not as good at those as once he was – but when Kyren gets nowhere near a much harder one, he quickly tidies up. there are plenty of points readily available too.
OFF WE GO AGAIN
on table two
Gary Wilson 2-0 Xu Si
WILSON 1-3 DING
Kyren will be irate to have given up another frame in which he was in first, but he's playing really well so will back himself to rebound. We'll be back in 15.
WILSON 1-2 DING (22-73)
Kyren leaves a eared, Ding bags it, and he'll lead by two at the interval.
WILSON 1-2 DING (22-72)
And still not when he runs out of position, but Kyren returns to the table needing two snookers with both remaining reds by the side rail.
WILSON 1-2 DING (22-44)
Ding jabs in a really nice red with the rest, taking it from center to right corner, but he'll need one of the reds near the side rail, so the frame isn't his yet.
WILSON 1-2 DING (22-1)
Kyren is so relaxed these days, and he strokes home another lush starter then bumps the pack off his second red; very quickly, he's crafting a chance to lay down another big break ... but attacking the pack a second time, off the blue, he slides off and lands on nowt. Frustration! So he plays safe ... then catches a safety too thickly, sending a red over left corner and leaving the white near the blue; that's going to cost him.
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Disgruntled Higgins looks puzzled after Lyu match stopped
Video credit: TNT Sports
on table two
Gary Wilson 1-0 Xu Si
WILSON 1-2 DING
Not that much! He plays the black at pace, misses it, it won't double off the baulk rail, and this is shaping up into a proper match.
WILSON 0-2 DING (67-0)
The frame is Kyren's, but he'll fancy a restorative ton to go with it.
WILSON 0-2 DING (52-0)
Kyren removes balls nicely, and will soon be on the board.
WILSON 0-2 DING (20-0)
Dig turns away form the table in disgust knowing he's left a plant; Kyren taps it home, cleans up the black, and the balls are nicely situated for this to be a telling visit.
WILSON 0-2 DING (12-0)
Again, Kyrizzle sinks a nice red off Ding's break , then has to go at a brutal mid-distancer to keep the run going ... and cracks it into the leather. But he's not on a colour, so it's back to balk, black sent almost over left corner in the process so that it remains in play.
on table two
Gary Wilson 0-0 Xu Si
WILSON 0-2 DING
Ding secures the frame. Kyren won't want to lose another.
WILSON 0-1 DING (0-61)
Another red to Ding, but again no color, so it's in behind the yellow with brown also blocking; Kyren's escape looks good but somehow the white passes around his chosen ball, he leaves one, and this is going to be 2-0.
WILSON 0-1 DING (0-19)
Just when 2-0 looks likely, Ding makes a big error dropping in a red, forced to snuggle up to the yellow rather than keep potting balls. Kyren will take that, but he's got work to do just to get back into the frame, never mind win it.
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Higgins visibly angry with decision to stop Wakelin match
Video credit: TNT Sports
WILSON 0-1 DING (0-19)
I love watching Ding play well – I guess I've watched him grow up – and he takes a lovely opener from middle to right corner then gets to work. He fancies this, and is running into decent form for the UK Championship, which he's already won thrice.
on table two
Gary Wilson 0-0 Xu Si
WILSON 0-1 DING
Kyrewn will be nauseated to have lost that, but both men are playing well.
WILSON 0-0 DING (34-68)
This is so Ding it's dingalicious. But going at a tight cut to right corner with the frame, he cues across it and misses ... only to block Kyren's route to it with the black. Lucky boy, and the escape leaves a dolly. That'll be enough for the lead.
WILSON 0-0 DING (34-12)
Kyren runs out of position so plays safe, but then Ding floats in a lovely starter and quickly breaks the pack. He's nicely set and there are few better in and around the black spot.
WILSON 0-0 DING (20-0)
These have been the best players so far this week so this should be a quality encounter. And Kyren is in first, nailing a starter off the break; he's so confident at the moment and it's great to see.
OFF WE GO!
who doesn't fancy
A bit of Kyren Wilson v Ding Junhui? Bring it on!
we go again
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Higgins hits impressive century break to take lead against Wakelin
Video credit: TNT Sports
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'Amazing miss' - Wakelin slips up under pressure
Video credit: TNT Sports
on table two
Jackson Page 4-6 Xiao Guodong
hIGGINS 5-5 WAKELIN
John fouls and concedes, but they've ended the session! The final frame will follow at the end of the evening sash and the Wiz, who had to do likewise yesterday, is not happy, at all. But there's a match coming up in 30, fans need to get out and come in, and they've had four-and-a-half hours to finish, so.
hIGGINS 5-4 WAKELIN (26-63)
A poor shot from John leaves a starter, down it goes, and this is almost definitely going to a decider. Chris does soon run out of position, but unless the Wiz can find a snooker then clear the table, it'll be a one-frame shoot-out.
hIGGINS 5-4 WAKELIN (26-50)
Chris tidies the loose balls then plays safe, frame still well in the balance and three reds left.
hIGGINS 5-4 WAKELIN (26-37)
John uses the rest to try and plant one of the three, but misses them all; reprieve for Chris! He immediately sends a starter to left-middle, but we can't take anything for granted at this point, the winning post in sight and both men struggling a little.
hIGGINS 5-4 WAKELIN (19-29)
John will need the those three difficult reds – and there's another on black cush – but this match appears to be moving inexorably towards him sealing the win here and now.
hIGGINS 5-4 WAKELIN (0-29)
Chris looks slightly pained but he's taking these nicely, plenty of reeds still loose; he won't need the three by the side rail but excuse me while I interrupt myself! He misses a black off its spot! "Wow. That is an amazing miss," surmises Nealf. Can John finish him? This is a chance to!
hIGGINS 5-4 WAKELIN (0-7)
Forced tomake something happen, Chris cues nicely to send a long starter down left corner, adds a pink, and he's in good shape here, reds all over. Chance!
hIGGINS 5-4 WAKELIN (0-0)
Chris goes at a red to right corner and misses, then John opens the pack via attacking safety; he fancies getting this over.
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Stumped Higgins tries every rest in eighth frame against Wakelin
Video credit: TNT Sports
on table two
Jackson Page 4-5 Xiao Guodong
hIGGINS 5-4 WAKELIN
John dishes Chris for a third time, like it's something he's been doing all his life. It is.
hIGGINS 4-4 WAKELIN (69-31)
He's been playing this game long enough to know when he's got an opponent, and it feels like John has got Chris. He's one up with two to play.
hIGGINS 4-4 WAKELIN (40-31)
John gets the pack open and there's no reason to think he won't do the necessary here. Chris, I'm afraid, might've gone.
hIGGINS 4-4 WAKELIN (15-31)
It's just not happening for him. Chris directs a nasty one into the far jaw of right-middle and will, I imagine, expect John to punish him; he's losing faith in himself. John, meanwhile, is getting down to business, striking a fine red to left corner and growing into this as his opponent shrinks.
hIGGINS 4-4 WAKELIN (0-24)
Chris rolls in a starter and badly needs something significant here, given how the last few frames have gone. There aren't, though, many loose reds so he'll soon have to attack the pack.
on table two
Jackson Page 4-5 Xiao Guodong
hIGGINS 4-4 WAKELIN
John misses and Chris quickly concedes.
hIGGINS 3-4 WAKELIN (48-0)
Chris lays a snooker and it earns him a chance, but looking to drop a red in dead weight along black cush, he instead leaves it in the jaws and that is going to be 4-4.
hIGGINS 3-4 WAKELIN (47-0)
John is soon back at the table potting; not for long, but Chris' level has dropped and perhaps his head is following suit.
hIGGINS 3-4 WAKELIN (42-0)
A red ramrodded to middle keeps John at the table, but he soon winds up stuck to a different one, playing safe with a handy lead in the bank and two reds on rails. Chris, who ought to have gone 5-2 up not that long ago, will be wondering if he's in the process of botching this.
hIGGINS 3-4 WAKELIN (27-0)
Finding himself bridging awkwardly, a red behind the white, he looks at everything - spider, swan neck – then opts for extended spider and, determined not to let the break go, pokes into right corner. He's having to work hard for this, but he's still there.
hIGGINS 3-4 WAKELIN (13-0)
John punches long into left corner but again has no colour. So he plays safe, Chris goes in-off, and this ia another chance for the Wiz.
hIGGINS 3-4 WAKELIN (1-0)
Or not! John contrives not to get on to a colour, so we're back playing safety. What a missed opportunity that is!
hIGGINS 3-4 WAKELIN (1-0)
Chris doesn't have many options so plays off the knuckle, scatters reds, and that's going to cost him plenty.
hIGGINS 3-4 WAKELIN (1-0)
John flukes a red then tucks into the small gap between brown and balk cushion; "vile", adjudicates Nealf.
on table two
Jackson Page 2-4 Xiao Guodong
hIGGINS 3-4 WAKELIN
Chris will be spewing. So he should be.
hIGGINS 2-4 WAKELIN (59-40)
A less than ideal positional shot means a tricky shot form yellow to green ... but John sorts it well, and the frame is his.
hIGGINS 2-4 WAKELIN (51-40)
From the side rail, John sends a taxing red to right corner, and there's no reason to think he won't clear.
hIGGINS 2-4 WAKELIN (29-40)
John closes the gap and gets away with a heavy contact; Chris will be fearing the worst, hating the existence of existence more with every ball.
hIGGINS 2-4 WAKELIN (0-40)
Eeesh, a black teeters on the lip before deciding to drop; Chris must've swallowed his insides in that moment – but now, with the black available to both corners and plenty of reds loose, the frame is his to lose. And of course as I type, he misses pink to middle! How! Neither of these can put a frame to bed, and the steal is on once again!
hIGGINS 2-4 WAKELIN (0-1)
John knows he has to win this frame and goes hard at a starter to left corner, missing by plenty and leaving it over the yellow bag, balls everywhere. Big chance for Chris to score...
on table two
Jackson Page 2-3 Xiao Guodong
hIGGINS 2-4 WAKELIN
John has to pot the brown but it's Chris who sinks the blue and that's enough for 4-2.
hIGGINS 2-3 WAKELIN (39-65)
Chris sends down the green, but he's not on the broon so John won't give this up; he needs a four-point snooker to tie.
hIGGINS 2-3 WAKELIN (39-62)
John can't get on to the last red but when he leaves the white right in front of the pink, Chris misses the red off the cushion! Goodness me it'll hurt Chris to have this frame pickpocketed too, and when John sinks the final red, that looks likely ... but he can't get on to the black so he again needs a snooker! The nice pot he sinks on the blue won't allay his annoyance, but has Chris gone? Left in a bog-standard pickle, he misses the green! Except John the leaves a pot on it! Does no one want to win this frame?!
hIGGINS 2-3 WAKELIN (16-62)
Chris can't bin a green across the table so John returns to it needing a snooker – but with potentialities, a word I don't think I've ever used before and rightly so.
hIGGINS 2-3 WAKELIN (0-58)
A lovely cut to the middle sustains the run, but Chris will be mindful he jiggered himself when set in the last frame. It's tense, but a decent red with the rest, sent from middle to corner, means he's nearly there.
hIGGINS 2-3 WAKELIN (0-37)
Because Chris is a fairly methodical player, he doesn't look like he's flowing even when he is. But he's building a lead and there are still balls available for him.
HIGGINS 2-3 WAKELIN (0-1)
Chris guides a terrific long starter into right corner, the disappointment of the previous frame easing, but the difference between 4-1 and 3-2, not just in numbers but in feeling, will remain.
on table two
Jackson Page 2-3 Xiao Guodong
HIGGINS 2-3 WAKELIN
Chris never looked totally at ease during his break - perhaps the reality that it was almost for the match weighed heavy on him – and he smiled ruefully after missing the crucial ball. It'll sting.
HIGGINS 1-3 WAKELIN (34-51)
Ooh dear, Chris misses a red to left corner and you can't expect John to passup a second opportunity to pilfer.
HIGGINS 1-3 WAKELIN (18-31)
He's not making it look easy, but Chris removes balls, and there's no reason to think he won't polish off the frame at this visit – there are no hidden dangers on the table.
HIGGINS 1-3 WAKELIN (18-7)
Eesh, having opened the balls previously, John sends the white into what's left of the pack while trying to play safe and as such, leaves Chris as good a chance as he could wish for.
HIGGINS 1-3 WAKELIN (18-6)
With nothing available, John tries to force a plant having left himself an unfavorable angle; he doesn't get close to the pot but does open the pack, imbuing the upcoming safety battle with a frisson of danger.
HIGGINS 1-3 WAKELIN (6-6)
John badly needs this frame but it's Chris first in, drilling a terrific starter into the green bag before adding a brown off which he breaks the pack; another fine shot. A red with the extension follows but he leaves himself a monger of a blue, taken form below and forced towards the yellow pocket ... and it won't drop, so John punches home a straight opener, tidies the aforementioned blue, and returns to the business end.
WE GO AGAIN
on table two
Jackson Page 2-1 Xiao Guodong
HIGGINS 1-3 WAKELIN
And down it goes. Chris will be a relieved man, halfway to victory in a scrappy match, while John will be sick he botched the larceny. We'll be back in 15.
HIGGINS 1-2 WAKELIN (41-50)
The green is on the bottom cushion, but there's an angle on the yellow to drop on to it ... but he misses the pot! As Fouldsy notes in comms, the pockets are receptive and this game has featured more missed pots than any other he's seen this week. But Chris sinks yellow, green and brown, meaning blue for the frame...
HIGGINS 1-2 WAKELIN (24-41)
But he can't take it! A mid-distance pink, missed by a way, and now it's John at the table looking to steal – and, as we know, nobody does it better.
HIGGINS 1-2 WAKELIN (15-33)
John leaves a potential longun to right corner and Chris glances it home – that's a really good shot - and so is the one that follows, a yellow which brings him up the table. He's fashioned a decent chance to take a two-fame interval lead.
HIGGINS 1-2 WAKELIN (15-9)
Oh gosh, now it's John's turn to miss when he shouldn't, taking his eye off a pink concerned about his split and watching the ball stay out of the bag. He doesn't, though, leave anything, so we're back playing in and out of the pack.
HIGGINS 1-2 WAKELIN (1-9)
But have a look at that! Chris steers a gorgeous starter to left corner, drops in a black dead weight ... the overcuts his second one and leaves a chance for John! He looks extremely poorly and with good reason.
on table two
Jackson Page 1-1 Xiao Guodong
HIGGINS 1-2 WAKELIN
There was a fair bit of luck involved, but Chris won't care and he retakes the lead.
HIGGINS 1-1 WAKELIN (0-80)
Chris secures the frame.
HIGGINS 1-1 WAKELIN (0-65)
Carefully, Chris accumulates, but bear in mind that he got 26 points in fouls, so there are more balls left at this stage than there'd ordinarily be.
HIGGINS 1-1 WAKELIN (0-29)
Chris flukes a plant and lands on the yellow – this frame is working hard for him - adds a yellow and works his way up to the business end.
HIGGINS 1-1 WAKELIN (0-26)
Chris inadvertently leaves John angled in the jaws of the yellow bag and he twice comes off the side and slides into the pink, then twice misses everything ... then we're back to hitting the pink. This is getting costly, but eventually he hits.
on table two
Jackson Page 1-1 Xiao Guodong
HIGGINS 1-1 WAKELIN
John runs out of position so there's no ton for him, but his arm is now going.
HIGGINS 0-1 WAKELIN (72-2)
John's worked this out well, but it really was a dreadful shot from Chris that let him in; just as bad as the missed black which helped decide the first frame.
HIGGINS 0-1 WAKELIN (44-2)
John picks at loose balls, building his lead, and might just be turning this run into a frame-winning opportunity. Blue, pink and black are all available proximate to the top cushion and if he can bump the cluster of four reds above them, the frame will be his.
HIGGINS 0-1 WAKELIN (12-2)
For all the good it does him. Not on a colour, he tries a containing safety that leaves one along the top rail, Johns ends it down, and will now look to score – but the table isn't that inviting.
HIGGINS 0-1 WAKELIN (0-2)
John leaves one at the bottom of the pack, but will Chris attempt a big blue next? Yes he will, going hard, missing it by a way in slightly careless manner and as a consequence, he opens the pack, the object-ball careering into it. John, though, can't punish, missing his opener, and Chris cuts into right corner to get away.
HIGGINS 0-1 WAKELIN (0-1)
A tight cut-back to left corner sets Chris away, then he take six time over a blue but it does him no good; he's got no angle on the next ball so tries forcing it, gets nowhere near ... and leaves the white inside the pack. And just as I'm about to say this is re-rack territory, the players agree a re-rack.
HIGGINS 0-1 WAKELIN (0-0)
Chris finds himself stuck behind the brown, close to the baulk rail, so has a think then plays a roll-up; John plays away. It doesn't feel like this'll be a quick match.
on table two
Jackson Page 0-1 Xiao Guodong
HIGGINS 0-1 WAKELIN
Chris clears to the pink and goes in front; John will be fuming at that black he missed, but if anyone knows how to put away disappointment, it's him.
HIGGINS 0-0 WAKELIN (43-54)
John foul-misses then misses the last red to left-centre; Chris tidies it up and tucks in behind the black. John misses his escape, leaves the yellow, and that should cost him the frame.
HIGGINS 0-0 WAKELIN (43-37)
It's Chris who sinks the next red, but he can't quite get on the last one off the blue, so the chase for it is on. I think we'lll ee several frames like this one, alive at this late stage.
HIGGINS 0-0 WAKELIN (43-23)
Getting away with a nice cut to right corner, Chris settles into his break, but he comes too far off a red so snuggles in behind the brown. He'll not be happy with that and perhaps he's not yet used to the match table, often more responsive than the outside versions.
HIGGINS 0-0 WAKELIN (43-3)
John isn't flowing yet but he's getting it done, sending a pink long to the green. He's inching his way towards the frame ... but has just missed a black off its spot! Can Chris capitalise?
HIGGINS 0-0 WAKELIN (19-3)
Chris has improved a lot over the last year or so, whereas John is, well John. He recently dropped out of the top 16 for about 10 minutes and for the first time in 29 years, but he's back now and his win over Lyu Haotian yesterday was classic him, a 6-5 having survived various match-balls. And he's at the tale now, having sent a fine starter to the yellow bag, but there's work to do.
AND OFF WE GO
Chris to break.
HERE COME OUR PLAYERS
It's quarter-final time.
Morning all
Let's be having it.
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