Four-time world champion John Higgins says he felt sorry for Jack Lisowski after the Scot thrashed the Englishman 13-1 in the second round of the 2018 World Championship. Higgins, who is second in the market at 4.00 to win the tournament outright, produced a dominant performance to record a third victory from four meetings against Lisowski.
The Scot made nine breaks over 50, including a brilliant 146 in frame 13 – the highest of this year’s competition so far – and moved into the quarter-final stage in Sheffield for the 14th time. His break of 146 was also just the fourth time that score has been made in World Championship history and the 42-year-old, who ousted Thepchaiya Un-Nooh in round one, is looking in great shape. Lisowski, who was making just his second appearance in the season-ending event, was possibly overawed by the situation and, if he hadn’t made a break of 81 in frame 11, a whitewash was almost on the cards.
This will all act as a learning curve for the Englishman and Higgins, who has picked up two ranking titles this season, says he knows how difficult it must have been for his opponent. “I felt for Jack a little bit. It is the worst feeling in the world and the worst venue in the world when you are really struggling. The harder you try, the worse it gets. I could see what he was going through,” he was quoted as saying by BBC Sport. Higgins will play either Ricky Walden or Judd Trump in the last-eight stage, with the latter pair locked at 8-8 in their second-round contest.
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