Anthony McGill admits the lessons he learned from his recent defeats to John Higgins were key to Wednesday’s brilliant win against his compatriot at the Players Championship. ‘Licenced to Thrill’ had lost the last four meetings between the pair but showed no signs of being affected by his shortcomings as he blasted to an impressive 6-0 win over the recent Welsh Open champion.
McGill is chasing his third career ranking title this week in Llandudno and is set to face Shaun Murphy in the quarter-finals. Friday’s match is the eighth time the pair have met, with Murphy leading their head-to-head 4-3. However, the Scot has won their last three encounters but is still the 13/10 outsider, with the 2005 world champion leading the betting at 3/5.
At 27, McGill appears to be coming into the prime of his career and Wednesday’s victory proved he can beat the big guns without playing well. He himself was shocked by his whitewash of Wiggins but feels the knowledge he gained from his recent losses to his compatriot played a significant role in reaching the last eight. “It’s a strange result, especially as the way I played wasn’t incredible,” said McGill. “We both played around the same level but I won all of the close frames. “I know I’d lost four times to John this season but he’d probably do that against most players, that’s how good he is. It’s not a bad thing to lose to him because I always learn something and come away from it a better player.”