John Higgins reveals World Snooker Championship concern after thumping top seed Neil Robertson at Players Championship - 'Adding 70 to 80 frames'
Published 18/02/2026 at 11:52 GMT
John Higgins reached a record 155th ranking event quarter-final with a 6-1 win over Neil Robertson on Tuesday but later revealed he had concerns about playing too much snooker before he chases a fifth world title. The Scot could become the first player in history to win the sport's biggest prize in four different decades, and would like to be in peak condition for the annual challenge.
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John Higgins is not convinced earning the chance to defend his Tour Championship title will boost his prospects of claiming historic Crucible glory.
The four-time world champion completed a fine 6-1 win over top seed Neil Robertson in the first round of the Players Championship in Telford on Tuesday, boosted by breaks of 70, 84 and 133 to secure a quarter-final meeting with Chris Wakelin, who dumped Xiao Guodong 6-2.
Scottish Open winner Wakelin finished with back-to-back centuries of 104 and 101 and will take on the world No. 5 on Thursday.
Higgins is 16th on the one-year list with the top 12 qualifying for the Tour Championship in Manchester (March 30-April 5) after the World Open (March 16-22).
The Wishaw icon hit back from 8-5 behind to complete a 10-8 win over Mark Selby in last season's Tour final.
And he is also set to defend his World Open title in the Chinese city of Yushan next month after defeating Joe O'Connor 10-6 last March.
"It would be good to qualify for the Tour Championship, but if I do qualify and do well there, I could be adding 70 to 80 frames into the tank going into the World Championship," said Higgins, Crucible winner in 1998, 2007, 2009 and 2011, on World Snooker Tour.
"Someone like myself, maybe doesn't have the energy for that. If I don't qualify, then who knows, it could end up helping me be a bit fresher."
The Welsh Open, live on TNT Sports and discovery+ between February 23 and March 1, also provides ranking points in the chase to qualify for the Tour Championship, the penultimate tournament before the World Championship (April 18-May 4).
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Masters champion Kyren Wilson won the Players Championship last season, but finished outside of the top 16 qualifiers this year.
"You look at someone like Kyren Wilson, he is the defending champion, and he’s not there to defend it," said Higgins.
"That is just the way these tournaments are. It would be a shame, but listen, I have a chance.
"If I can do well in the Players Championship, then I have two tournaments to try and lift myself into it with the Welsh and the World Open. I’ll be giving it my best."
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Higgins has said he will take positives from his performance in losing 13-12 to Mark Williams in the quarter-finals of the World Championship last year before his latest trip to Sheffield.
Williams progressed to defeat Judd Trump 17-14 in the last four before running out of steam in an 18-12 final loss to Zhao Xintong.
"It is one of those tournaments which is going to be incredibly difficult to win at my age," said Higgins, 50, who felt he lacked mental energy in losing 10-6 to Wilson in the Masters final in January.
"What Mark Williams did last year was incredible, but it is going to be really difficult," he said.
"When you are younger, and you win it, you don’t realise how much it is taking out of you mentally. You still have the mental space to do it.
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'Incredible, amazing, phenomenal!' - Williams beats Higgins in dramatic decider to move into semis
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"When I played Mark Allen two years ago and beat him in a decider, I went on to face Kyren Wilson the next day, and it was another mountain to climb.
"But when I look back at last year when I played Mark Williams. I came off that match and I still felt fresh, even though I’d lost.
"I am playing down my chances here, but I look to last year and I did feel alright. It is a difficult tournament."
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Watch and stream the 2025/26 snooker season, including the Welsh Open, live on TNT Sports and discovery+
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