How John Higgins smashed a 40-year-old Masters snooker record to keep pace with Ronnie O'Sullivan and Mark Williams - 'An incredible feeling'
Updated 17/01/2026 at 13:50 GMT
Fifty is rapidly becoming the new 40 in snooker. John Higgins has kept pace with fellow evergreen 'Class of '92' icons Ronnie O'Sullivan and Mark Williams by defying old Father Time to reach the semi-finals of the Masters. With O'Sullivan the oldest world champion in history, and Williams the oldest ranking event winner of all time, Higgins has displayed his qualities at the 52nd Masters.
Higgins admits he got 'so lucky' with 'butchered' plant in comeback win over Zhao
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If you're old enough, you're good enough.
At the age of 50, John Higgins became the oldest player to win a match at the Masters on Thursday since...well, since John Higgins secured a win at the sport's greatest invitational event on Tuesday.
Before that landmark moment, there was an epic triumph for 'Steady' Eddie Charlton, then a sprightly 56 and a man who refused to be rushed deep inside his comfort zone, back in 1986 at the old Wembley Conference Centre.
Higgins emulated the form he displayed in his 6-2 filleting of Barry Hawkins in the first round by roaring back from 5-3 down to sink world champion Zhao Xintong 6-5 in the quarter-finals with a spot of good fortune and some vintage form.
In doing so, he became the oldest player to claim a win at the sport's greatest invitational event since Australian great Charlton, a three-time World Championship runner-up, overcame Kirk Stevens 5-4 in a marathon battle in the first round of the Masters 40 years ago.
"It's an incredible feeling," Higgins told reporters.
"I was really lucky from 5-3 to 5-5, because I missed a few balls and got away with it. That's the reason I am still standing here.
"At 5-4, I tried a plant and butchered it, and fluked the red. It was fate, maybe. I stayed down a little bit extra on the final black to make sure I could not miss it."
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'Maybe he's destined?' - Higgins enjoys 'outrageous, frightening' fluke
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Higgins will face world No. 1 Judd Trump on Saturday afternoon bidding to become the oldest Masters champion in history - 20 years after lifting the second of his two titles at the tournament.
"John has been a tale of two halves," Trump told TNT Sports as he reflected upon a 21-14 winning record in their career head-to-heads.
"I think the first five or 10 years, he was beating me 5-4, 6-5 every time. He was making those important clearances, but the last 10 years have been somewhat the opposite. He's been my favourite player to play against.
"He's the ultimate test, and the manner in which he plays is amazing. He's also a gentleman out there, so it feels like you get a proper game against him.
"There's nothing else going on, no tactics or anything like that."
Higgins is also the oldest player to reach the last four of the Masters since Charlton, then 53, lost 6-5 to Cliff Thorburn in the semi-finals in 1983.
"At my age I appreciate wins like this a lot more," said the Scot.
"Even when I missed the black and went 5-3 behind, normally I would be devastated, but this time I was looking around and thinking 'this is an incredible arena', and I just told myself not to give up. I can't wait to get back out there on Saturday afternoon."
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'Suddenly the game is so easy' - Trump finishes with exhibition shots in win over Allen
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While Higgins and Zhao served up an epic for over 2,000 fans at a packed Alexandra Palace, it is fair to say 'Steady Eddie' took slightly longer to overcome Stevens 40 years ago, in what would be his final Masters appearance.
Starting out at 2pm on Tuesday, January 28, 1986, Charlton and Stevens were forced to abandon their match at around 7:20pm with the score locked at 4-4 to enable Jimmy White and Tony Meo to play in the evening.
With White winning 5-4, Charlton and Stevens had to return beyond midnight to complete their contest, a match Charlton would win with a highest break of only 59.
Changed days in the ensuing 40 years.
When O'Sullivan trounced Ricky Walden 6-0 in the 2014 Masters quarter-finals, he produced breaks of 79, 88, 72, 134, 77 and 56 to set a new record of 556 unanswered points, winning in only 57 minutes.
Higgins compiled 114, 64 and 58 to edge Zhao on the final black after rolling in 99, 71, 61, 58, 53 and 50 to overcome Hawkins.
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It is fair to say the 'Class of '92' are hardly raging against the dying of the light.
Last season's Crucible finalist Mark Williams became the oldest winner of a ranking event at the age of 50 at the Xi'an Grand Prix with a 10-3 win over Shaun Murphy in October.
And Ronnie O'Sullivan, the youngest and oldest winner of the Masters, became the oldest player to make a 147 at the age of 49, the first man to produce two maximums in the same match at the Saudi Arabia Masters in August.
Snooker's passing of the baton on the old green baize in 2026 remarkably sees the old guard replaced by the old guard.
But if you're good enough, you're old enough.
Watch and stream the 2025/26 snooker season, including the Masters, live on TNT Sports and discovery+
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