Emotionally 'drained' Higgins Defeats O'connor To Advance

Halo World Championship

Venue: Crucible Theatre, Sheffield Dates: 19 April to 5 May

Coverage: Watch unrecorded connected BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app; unrecorded matter sum of selected matches; updates connected BBC Radio 5 Live

Emotionally "drained" four-time champion John Higgins hit Joe O'Connor 10-7 successful a tense matter arsenic he reached nan 2nd information of nan World Snooker Championship astatine nan Crucible Theatre.

Higgins who turns 50 successful May, overturned a 5-4 shortage from Monday greeting to lead 7-6 astatine nan mid-session interval while remarkably compiling conscionable 1 break supra 50, a superb period successful nan 12th frame.

But he struggled nan shingle disconnected nan Englishman until O'Connor grounded to capitalise connected respective chances to triumph a melodramatic 15th frame, that Higgins took to spell 8-7 up.

The Scot crafted a awesome 114 break to move further up and different half period helped him seal his victory.

Higgins had been formed arsenic 1 of nan favourites to triumph successful Sheffield aft winning nan World Open - wherever he defeated O'Connor successful nan last – and impressively beating Mark Selby successful nan last of nan Tour Championship.

However, his plans were thrown into uncertainty erstwhile his father-in-law became earnestly sick connected nan eve of nan tournament.

And he was visibly affectional while speaking to BBC Sport astatine nan extremity of his title pinch O'Connor.

"I near my flat and I was successful tears," Higgins said.

"That was nan astir affectional I person ever been today. Obviously my father-in-law wasn't great.

"I was sitting having meal pinch my boy past nighttime and I was reasoning astir sitting present pinch my dada 25 years ago. I was drained today.

"I had a mates of hours slumber and I came retired coming and felt a batch amended and played a batch better. I americium still truthful proud that I americium still playing astatine a bully level astatine this age."

The 33-time ranking arena victor will play China's Xiao Guodong successful nan 2nd round.

Meanwhile, Mark Allen hit China's Fan Zhengyi 10-6 to book his spot successful nan 2nd information for nan 5th consecutive year.

The 39-year-old from Northern Ireland, who had trailed 3-0 earlier fighting backmost to lead 5-4 overnight, made breaks of 88 and 102 connected his measurement to mounting up a last-16 necktie pinch qualifier Chris Wakelin.

Allen, a erstwhile Masters and UK Championship winner, is bidding for a first world title to complete nan afloat group of Triple Crown arena victories.

The world number 8 told BBC Two: "It was a spot of a shaky commencement yesterday and I thought Fan was very bully astatine nan start. I was really happy to beryllium 5-4 successful beforehand overnight and I played immoderate really bully snooker today.

"I stole 2 frames successful a statement that I had nary existent correct to triumph and it made nan scoreline look a small flattering astatine nan interval - 9-4 could person easy been 7-6 and past it would person been crippled on.

"I didn't adjacent it retired arsenic clinically arsenic I would person liked but I vanished disconnected nicely."

Allen is joined successful information 2 by Zhao Xintong, who wrapped up a comfortable 10-4 triumph complete 2024 runner-up Jak Jones.

Jones' exit intends some of past year's finalists person exited nan 2025 arena successful nan first round, pursuing defending champion Kyren Wilson's conclusion by Lei Peifan connected Saturday.

Zhao will meet chap Chinese subordinate Lei for a spot successful nan quarter-finals.

In Monday afternoon's different first-round contest, three-time UK champion Ding Junhui opened up a 6-3 advantage against world number 73 Zak Surety.

Debutant Surety struggled to settled early connected and was 4-0 down earlier he recovered immoderate hit astatine all.

However, nan Englishman regrouped aft nan mid-session region and made a period break arsenic he took 3 of nan remaining 5 frames to limit nan harm anterior to Tuesday afternoon's concluding session.

Si Jiahui took power of nan conflict betwixt 2 erstwhile Crucible semi-finalists, pinch breaks of 97 and 73 helping him move 6-3 up connected David Gilbert.

Zhao's first-round show was 1 of nan astir awesome of immoderate subordinate during nan tourney truthful far.

The 28-year-old led 7-2 overnight and, aft Jones took nan first 2 frames of nan morning, Zhao won nan adjacent 3 pinch breaks of 70, 55 and 87 to conclusion nan 16th seed from Wales.

Zhao is competing arsenic an amateur successful his first World Championship quality since 2022, having completed a 20-month suspension earlier this season.

The erstwhile UK Championship victor was one of 10 players banned successful 2023 pursuing an investigation into match-fixing. He did not straight propulsion a match, but accepted charges of being a statement to different subordinate fixing 2 matches, and betting connected matches himself.

But he will return to nan master ranks adjacent play and some Jones and erstwhile world champion Neil Robertson saying they expect him to contend successful Sheffield.

"I'm truthful happy he said that and I will effort my best," said Zhao erstwhile told of Robertson's comments.

"Hopefully successful nan future, we will person a Chinese world champion present and we are trying to do that."

Jones, 31, added: "Zhao looked really sharp, nan qualifiers person done him good, and I've had 2 best-of-sevens successful nan past 10 weeks aliases so.

"I benignant of felt that retired there, I didn't consciousness crisp astatine all. He put maine nether a batch of pressure, his scoring and long-potting was bully and I deliberation he'll beryllium difficult to stop."

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