John Higgins is hoping that a big crowd will turn out in Glasgow on Friday night to see his showdown with Ronnie O’Sullivan in the Dafabet Scottish Open. Higgins feels he’ll benefit from a sell-out crowd for his quarter-final tussle with the in-form O’Sullivan after they both made the last eight. Four-time world champion Higgins’ passage to this year’s quarter-finals has seen him beat Jack Lisowski, Christopher Keogan, Gerard Greene and Ashley Hugil, conceding only two frames along the way.
O’Sullivan scrapped his way past Li Hang in the last 32, winning 4-3, before overcoming Michael White 4-1 on Thursday evening. It sets up the glamour tussle of the quarter-finals, with nine world crowns between the pair and more than two decades of rivalry. Higgins is glad their game in Glasgow is on a fitting stage. “I’ve been a little bit lucky because I’ve played a few players that have maybe not been accustomed to the main table,” Higgins told BBC Sport. “But obviously I’m now playing someone in Ronnie that’s normally on the main stage. “I’m glad it’s on Friday night because there was a really good crowd tonight. When I played him last year people said they wished it had been at night because they had been working.”
O’Sullivan won the UK Championship final on Sunday evening in York and his blistering form recently had led to a hectic schedule, something Higgins is hoping can work to his advantage. “Ronnie must be pretty tired because he’s had a hectic couple of months and nearly been in every final. But let’s hope I can put him to sleep tomorrow night,” he added. Higgins is 13/10 to defeat O’Sullivan while the ‘Rocket’ is 9/2 to come through on a 5-3 scoreline.
Dafabet Scottish Open odds available at Dafabet.