John Higgins says he was pleased with the spirit he showed as he battled past Anthony McGill in the opening round of the Dafabet Masters. The four-time world champion has a mixed record in this event, winning it twice, but also being eliminated at the first hurdle on 12 occasions, and was in danger of going the same way on Wednesday.
After taking a 2-0 lead, he lost his rhythm, allowing McGill in to go 4-2 up in a spell that included breaks of 122, 61 and 76. However, he hit back with a 67 and then levelled with an 81 when he appeared on for a 147, only to get a kick on the 11th black. Higgins then retook the lead thanks to a 65 before edging a safety tussle in the 10th frame to seal a 6-4 win. It was certainly not a polished performance from ‘The Wizard of Wishaw’, who is 11/2 to win the tournament at the Alexandra Palace, and he admits he had to dig deep in his opening round match.
“I’m delighted because when I was 4-2 behind Anthony was dominating,” said Higgins. “I knew at that stage I needed to hit the ball with more authority because I wasn’t getting through the white at all. “I was beginning to lose my rag at 3-2, I played a red to the middle and nearly miscued. I potted the red but nearly went in-off. I knew then that I just wasn’t hitting the ball well. Somehow I managed to turn it around.” Next up is Riga Masters champion Ryan Day on Friday in a match Higgins is the 4/9 favourite to win, with the Welshman 7/4.
Dafabet Masters odds available at Dafabet.