"It feels like a final" C Everton | Ronnie O'Sullivan vs John Higgins | 2019 Players Championship QF

Romney O'Sullivan's CV contains 5 World Titles, 7 UK, 7 Masters. The Higgins, the talented 4 World, 3 UK and 2 Masters. What an occasion, Clive. Two all-time greats in a big tournament. Well, this feels like a final in many ways. Well, it wasn't overly close to it. It was a very tough red and he has been knocking those in this season. When he shakes his head, that's just one shot. He's a bit of a loosener, perhaps. A couple of months ago, he was very worried about how he was playing. And worse still, he was worried about how he was feeling about the game. But just recently, he's regained his appetite for the game and his form. He couldn't get topside there. Not any chance of that. He needed a little bit of good fortune, I think. The table has been recovered. One of the table fitters here. And he said they worked from about 11 o'clock to about 1.30 this morning to get this table in tip-top shape. It's a very good safety shot from John Higgins. I tell you, if he hits that too thick, the gable just crashes into the bunch off the second cushion. That's a hard shot to play. Chance at a long red. Can he get round behind the back of the black and the red to the right of it? Andy Yates is the referee. Useful league player. Top break 94. 12th. Just a little awkward on this. It's got a cue slightly over it. I think the table already looks to be running beautifully. 20th. Even then, that's a very surprising miss. We've seen a few players put one to that top jaw on a similar shot. There was some sort of prospect that he could have won the opening frame at that visit. It was a solid putt from O'Sullivan. It was not difficult, but he's controlled it well. I think sometimes a player can take confidence from your opponent missing one. 8th. Especially when it comes to the odd shot here or there when these two players meet. 9th. 16th. 17th. Good touch on that shot. So important. Just above the blue is absolutely right. Well, the left-handed shot, because he's right about fouling. He went up the table on his waistcoat playing right-handed. 23th. He stayed down on that one. It was in the balance. 30th. That's a good shot, actually. He's nudged the two reds open that were locked together previously. 36th. 37th. He didn't have much margin for error there, and he got slightly over-screwed. It's quite a good recovery, but he's still not quite right. This red to the middle has got to be taken very seriously. 43th. Quite an acute angle. Ronnie O'Sullivan, 43th. Well, he did take it seriously, but still missed it. A strange shot, you know, to hold for the pink there. There was not a lot of room. 1st. Players came out to a rapturous perception, but you can hear a pin drop in here now. 8th. The thing is, we'll need a very precise positional shot to take the red to the left middle. 9th. He's looking at that red. It looks very narrow to put it in there. It has to be played very slow. I think the reason he's happy to play it is it will drop him behind the blue to drop him behind the other red. This has, again, got to be taken seriously. 12th. It looked easier on screen than it actually was. 17th. John Higgins, 17th. There was always a very good chance of laying a snooker through a combination of yellow and blue. This is not very nice, is it? There's only a bit of the red that he can hit here. It's a very difficult shot to play. It's nearer than the previous. It is important that the balls are placed exactly right, because he's got a line on the shot now, and if it's moved over, it would be a different escape. It's gone miles too far. Massive overcompensation. So, the gift of a chance for Higgins to clinch the opening frame. Yes, it was a good shot that John Higgins had played. We should remember that. Foul. Ronnie O'Sullivan saves. He should never have gone anywhere near the pink on that shot. Wow, I mean, some might think he's unlucky, but he isn't, really. So, it looks very much as if Higgins has thrown the first frame away. Thank you. Five. Nine. Just blue and pink needed, then. 40. The important part here, he doesn't need the black. He could screw the cue ball up the table to guarantee the pot going in. Potted the last red, very unexpectedly. So, O'Sullivan leads by a frame to nil. Ghastly error by Higgins. Knocking the pink in, as he potted the last red. Ronnie O'Sullivan has been a bit watchful and mindful of his break-off shot. That's why he tends to play it left-handed. He's worried about sticking a red. It seems whichever way he goes, he's leaving one. That's what he was saying the other day. Six. Dead straight on the blue, so he can only go straight forward or straight back. Well, I don't know if John's very happy with that shot, either. He played on the red to just down by the black. John Higgins, 12th. So, lost position very quickly from that chance. He's looked at the potting angle. It's a tough shot, this. Especially if he's trying to get around the back of the black and up the table. Well, nowhere near it. The question is, what has he left? Well, the answer to that may be that he's left plenty. Eight. He's gone too far again on that red. Second time in this frame. The red he's played on, he's not managed to get on. He's got one to the middle, but it's not the one he played on. Nine. Oh, dear. John Higgins, nine. Well, as we saw, I mean, he clearly went. Sometimes, if you can't help yourself on that shot, you think, well, it only just passes the red, but either it does or it doesn't go. So, you have to ignore the red that is close to being in the way. Five. Six. Twelve. Thirteen. This time, Ronny Schubel just travels back too far. I think he can play off the other red and just hold for the pink. That kind of helped. There was no other part to the shot except just the pot. Twenty-two. Twenty-three. This element won the first frame after a very bad Higgins mistake. He could be winning the second frame in a similar manner. Thirty. He's not played a good shot there. Didn't want to be over the top of the black on this shot. Thirty-one. It means he's further away from his next colour than he would have wanted because he was limited in what he could achieve there. It's well played. A little short. The black went in slightly thick into the pocket. Thirty-eight. This is not guaranteed to be a frame-winning chance yet. Thirty-nine. He's taken control of the cue ball and that's a royalty for Ed Sullivan. He developed the red on the side cushion. I don't think that was in his plans. But again, look at the cue ball. This table must be a lot quicker than these two players are expecting. And look where he's finished. It's just so unlike him. Well, I don't suppose he had any option there. He couldn't really cut that red in. And if he missed it, he left the other two reds. He actually got a kick on that shot, which slowed everything down. He looked to near certainty to win the frame there, didn't he, when he was on that blue? What was that? He didn't want to play the left-hand red and get that into play, did he? So he took a risk here. But it's much too thick. Two great, great players, both showing signs of nerves. Ed Sullivan's not a great one for dwelling on his mistakes. Is he going to get another chance in this frame? He's very straight on it. I wonder if he can just screw up into bulk. The other option is screw back and play the double on the red. Something he's very good at. So that's why he's playing the double. If this goes in, he could easily win the frame. He's expecting to get it, but not on the last red. Eighteen. Now that the break ends, he's really got to take advantage. He's got to snooker O'Sullivan. Plenty of balls that could make that snooker happen. And he's certainly achieved it. So it is advantage, Higgins, at least. Foul. And a miss. He's got to leave a free ball here, hasn't he? John Higgins, four. Unavoidable. Free ball. Pink ball. Free ball, pink is a pretty attractive option. John Higgins does not want to twist in this frame like the last. Four. Five. Seven. Only green, brown and blue needed now. Nine. Twelve. Sixteen. Twenty-one. Twenty-seven. And a frame. John Higgins. So John Higgins levels it one all. Looks pretty good. Higgins acknowledges that, but trying not to overhear, as he has been a little bit. Foul. And a miss. Well, again, it's the kind of mistake you wouldn't expect from John Higgins with all his mouse around the table. He has left the red on for O'Sullivan, but it's dead straight, so position wasn't a formality. Turns out he's nicely on the pink, though. Eight. Fifteen. Twenty-one. Looks like he's pushing the red away from the black here. Freeing things up. Twenty-nine. Oh. Thirty. A thunderous kick. Well, a massive kick. Look where the cue ball has ended. He's finished. Green ball. Over a foot away from where he wanted to be there. Two feet, I think. Nominated green. So it's a miss called. Foul. And a miss. Black ball. Unsatisfactory for O'Sullivan. Not his own fault that time. He doesn't seem to be timing the ball as he usually does now. He went to India to win that tournament. He didn't do so. Four. Again. Not controlling the cue ball anywhere near as well as they usually do. Eleven. I think O'Sullivan's happy enough with the black where it is and a couple of reds safe. Twenty-three. Twenty-four. So this is grey ball coming up. Thirty-one. O'Sullivan was disappointed when he suffered a thunderous kick when he was in earlier with a break of thirty. Ronnie O'Sullivan. Thirty-one. He's got in again. One. Sorry, only fifty-one left, of course. But he can't pop the black direct. Had to use the sword. Not entirely out of the frame. But this is tough. John Higgins, eight. Frame conceded. Frame Ronnie O'Sullivan. O'Sullivan being left erect in the law. Higgins conceded. O'Sullivan has made fewer mistakes. Yes, John Higgins is experienced enough to know, though, that if he could get this frame under his belt all level, then he could regroup. What he does know about O'Sullivan is there's never been a better front runner, you know, to get behind Ronnie O'Sullivan. He can just almost devour the table. This is an ambitious shot. There was an element of safety in it. So again, Higgins gets the first decent chance, as has been the case in all the frames so far. One. Higgins said the other day that it's been very beneficial to him, as along with Anthony McGill and Stephen Maguire, they've rented out an industrial unit and put a couple of tables in to make a practice facility. Higgins believes this is much better than practicing at home. Sixteen. Gives you the sensation of going out to work, which is what it is. Seventeen. Twenty-four. Twenty-five. That's a good shot. Well played on the red. Thirty-two. Thirty-three. Thirty-nine. Forty. It'll be the first 50 break of the match, surprisingly. The options are, when he gets on the blue here, tickle into the five reds or play on that loose one. Fifty-one. On the bottom right of the bunch. Fifty-two. Maybe he's playing off one cushion into the five reds here. From the brown. It's quite a big target. Oh, yeah, that's beautiful. I know you hit the pink first, but it was a well-thought-out way of getting legs into play. Fifty seconds. Chance to clinch this fourth play at this visit. Sixty-five. You wonder which player was going to step forward here and move the level up to the kind we expected, and it's John Higgins. Both players have struggled a bit, more than a bit. This is more like what we expected from the very start. I think we can look forward to a tremendous remainder of this match. Eighty. Well, this is the last frame before the mid-session interval, so they will resume at two all. Eighty-eight. Eighty-nine. That's made the position of the red worse. Ninety-six. Essentially number 746, they have to play. John Higgins, the date of the interview against Rony O'Sullivan. Level at two frames all. Again, not the best safety shot. John Higgins able to get his bridge hand on the table. He's lost a cue ball back towards the ball cushion. John Higgins. One. Neither player can get the match by the scruff of the neck. It's the old cliche at the moment. I think they're playing each other rather than the table. One. I kind of think that Rony needs to win a frame in one visit, make a nice 70 break, 60 or 70 break, and that would get him back in the groove around like him so far this afternoon. Two frames he's won has been bits and pieces. It's difficult to see where it can go wrong in this situation with the way the reds are. Pink and black are on each other's spots, but very much in the open. Twenty. Twenty-four. Twenty-five. Twenty-seven. Twenty-eight. Thirty-five. Thirty-six. Forty-three. Forty-four. His first half century of the afternoon surely about to come up. So red, colour red, and now Sullivan will regain the lead. Fifty-one. Fifty-two. Fifty-nine. It seems a strange thing to say about someone like a Sullivan who's won everything in the game, but he could really do with clearing the table here, put every single ball, set them up nicely, gun into the next frame. Sixty-seven. Sixty-eight. He's still on. Seventy-four. Seventy-six. Now then. Even the great Rocky O'Sullivan will be fully examined by this. Eighty-three. Eighty-eight. Ninety-four. Precisely what the doctor ordered. Not just winning a frame, winning it smoothly. Century number 996 of Ronnie O'Sullivan's career, and with that, for the third time this afternoon, he leads by a single frame. It's 3-2. John Higgins, frame formula 96. Previous swim we've just watched Ronnie O'Sullivan make a 101. This is going to be the sign of things to come in this match. Well, playing it like that, the only red he could leave was the one he went for, and he has left it. Beautiful shot. A lot more difficult to control that cue ball than it looked on the screen. In most of the shots Ronnie plays, I mean, it looked ridiculously easy. This plant looks perfect just to keep the cue ball in the black. Straight in. First stop. He's lost the cue ball. Okay, the blue's still on to the left corner, but it's a tricky little shot. 40. Good putt here. He's a brave man. Ronnie O'Sullivan played the last frame to bet against. This being 997. The tournament sponsors Coral are giving away £100 per century to the Jesse May Children's Hospice Charity, and if O'Sullivan makes his 1,000th century here, they will donate an extra £1,000. That will also roll on to... 21. The Tour Championship. 27. 28. Just screwing behind the red to the right of the black. Put that into the same pocket as the black ball. This now will clear the black to both corner pockets. 35. Certainly makes the break so much easier. 36. 42. 43. 50. 51. We always say how intervals can change matches. O'Sullivan seems to have restored mojo. 57. Let's not forget that John Higgins was in first in the previous frame. Lost position. 63. He's pretty much been glued to his chair ever since. 70. 71. 76. 77. 85. From the moment that Ronnie put that little tricky blue to the far left corner, it just looked like it was always going to be the result. 92. Ronnie O'Sullivan, 92. What a hilly. No back-to-back centuries, but O'Sullivan is on a burst. He may be forced into taking a pot on here. 6. He's desperate to get the black back in its spot. 7. 14. Continue the trend of the last three frames. 15. 20. 21. Oh, he's got a huge bounce. He's got a huge bounce off the cushion there. The last blue was just a little bit careless because he should have been straight on this red so he could just drop on the blue again. That cue ball came off the cushion almost twice as fast as it went on. The brown you expect him to get, but now it's become missable. That's well controlled. That's very well controlled. 25. 26. He's got an angle on the brown. I think he'll be off one cushion into the six reds below the pink. Just off the cushion, just before the middle pocket. 30. More often than not, you see these miss thin if they're missed. Because you've got such a long bridge, you can decelerate. But safely in. Made sure of the pot there. Thank you. Made the percentage shot rather than playing a little tricky shot to stay on the black. Cannon the main bunch. Just a gentle little cannon. In fact, he went the other way. That's very well played. 36. 37. 44. What's followed, even that little use of the bunch. It's been class. 52. 53. This is a pressure shot. This goes in. Position obtained. Should be 4-3. Yeah, those first three very unusually scrappy frames. 59. Distant memory. Just make sure you get a nice angle in the blue. Don't be short. 60. Perfect. Two options the way to play that shot. Oh, he doesn't want that cue ball to stop. He knew straight away. John Higgins, 65. A massive shot this would be to take on. For Ronnie O'Sullivan. He can afford one pink. Going down means he's playing for the black to the same pocket. 54. 61. A pair of 60 plus breaks from John Higgins. And he's back in the referee. This match is brewing up so, so nicely. Red closest to the black. Does that go to the right corner? May not play it now. 60. If he gets a similar angle on it again, he can certainly open the reds up. 70. It's got the option to go into the pink from the blue. To try and split the reds open. I'm a little bit surprised he played for this red. Because it's very easy to do what he's just done. And land straight. It's easy to hit. Very well. Screw back. Right hand side. I'm a little bit surprised he played for that red. John Higgins, 12. You see the right hand side pushes the cue ball to the left. That's why he missed the red. To the right knuckle as he looked at it. What's Ronnie O'Sullivan looking at? You see three ball plants played. He seems to fancy it. Mark Ellen knocked in a four ball plant last night to launch a century break. Can Ronnie get enough right hand side in this cue ball in between brown and green? Right hand side cushion into the bunch. He can't. How's your luck? Bad. Wow, body language seems to think. Seems to show to me that he's on the shred. Yep. So not so bad after all. John Higgins opening his chair just hoping something happens. But I think he'll be fearing the worst. It's the way Ronnie played in frame 5 and 6. He looks back to his scoring form. And you see that red goes to this left corner. 31. 32. 39. 40. 47. 48. 55. 56. 61. 62. 68. 69. 75. 76. 81. 82. 89. 91. Now come on, make this century. 94. Get a little closer. 98. Century 997. The landmark is in sight. 109. 106. Three interval. The standard was disappointing. After the interval, it's been magical. 5-3 in front. Try to flick the white a little wider than that. 4. 5. 7. 8. Thank you. Quiet on the sweep, rappers, please. Just enough angle to follow through with the right-hand side cushion for a red to the left corner. There's one right in the middle of the five loose ones below the bunch will go. One near the black spot as well. That's the first one, that's the one he's played for. 30. Still on it. Position not 100% guaranteed. Watch that middle pocket. Foul. John Higgins, 13. Stephen, I'm not worthy. What a call that was. Fantastic. Could that be John Higgins' last shot in this quarterfinal? Shake of the head. He knows if Rona Sullivan puts this long red, it could well be. With this kind of blue over the years, he's been so reliable. That's red. It's not as easy as it looks. But he struck it in as if it was easy. 7. Is he going to get right side of the blue? Doesn't look like it. Foul. I thought for a minute the blue was going to run along the cushion going to the yellow pocket there. John Higgins, 5. Just tried to pinch too much of the pocket. Absolutely, pretty much dead straight, this blue. And just tried to put it in the right-hand side of the pocket. As Ronnie looks, but... Just asked a bit too much of the table there. 1. I think he'll play for the open red. A couple of open reds, actually. There's one at the bottom of the bunch. He's got a nice angle to follow through of two cushions. Trying to split the reds. 7. Green ball. That angle never looked on for me. The miss. John Higgins, 7. Ronnie O'Sullivan, 4. Every mistake could be his last in this match. But he's been there before in these situations and come out of them. And that's a wonderful safety shot. It really is. And that wonderful safety shot has produced an error from his opponent. This has to be cued nicely. And it was. 1. 8. 14. 15. 20. 21. 26. 27. Blue and one more red. Again, not for the first time. This happened in... 32. Frame 7. One ball away from getting over the line. John Higgins, 32. This time, though, he was able to put O'Sullivan in trouble. And what's more, put an insurance red on the side cushion. There's Ronnie O'Sullivan. John Higgins, 1. On the frame. O'Sullivan concedes, needing a couple of snookers. And will join here at the Preston Guildhall. And this could be the last time we see the roll-up. Because that's really opened the reds up. And I think when you get these safety exchanges, the first mistake, or the first chance, is normally a very good one. Because look at where the reds are. That's where Ronnie left that red. Over the far left corner. Well, from that view, it certainly doesn't look like it passes the green. Obviously, John knew it did. I said that the first chance would be a good one. And you can see why. He's going to put a lot of reds here. 11. Ronnie O'Sullivan still won't be very much in this frame. 16. He'll try and play the cannon. Certainly into the two reds in the pink spot. But hit both of them at the same time. He's just checking the two reds to the right of those. If the bottom one goes to the right corner, it's pretty tight. He's not happy with this shot. The two reds in the pink spot. If the left one goes to the left corner, that's an option. Just drop the pink in. Play for that one. Wow. John Higgins, 16. The reason John Higgins missed that pink is he just took too long over the shot, in my opinion. He was just in two minds. He couldn't make up his mind the right way to play it. OK, settle down now, please. What a nervous kind of shot from Ronnie O'Sullivan. Lost the cue ball completely. There's plenty of pressure out there, believe me. What a result. 8. 15. So tense. 22. 25. 26. 32. That's a beautiful shot. So easy in this pressure situation to be tentative going through the ball. But the last two shots he's cued so positively. That's unlucky. 38. Just get to the side of the cue ball. 39. 43. He knew the cue ball was going to brush off the yellow there. 44. To this yellow. Two more reds. 46. 47. Looks to have the absolute perfect angle on the pink. Just a nudgeless red. Just hit this red quarter ball. Just nudge it towards the middle pocket. Got a full ball contact. That's why he's not on it nicely. Does it cut back to the left middle? 53. Ronnie O'Sullivan. 53. The plot thickens. He's made some clearances in his time. But, well, he'll be disgusted with that shot. He cannot believe it. He's ran too far for the brown. He needs to put a colour. Now, 34 behind. 35 on. He needs a black. And look where the black is. And look where this red is. John Higgins, three. The kind of shot you never imagine John Higgins will play. But he has done. John will be absolutely furious with himself. He really will. As I say, it's just that little bit of big match sharpness that he's lacked. Five. To me, it'll set the signs for the rest of the season that John Higgins will be a force. Perhaps at Sheffield. You never know. But not at the Tour Championship because... Ronnie O'Sullivan, five. He has been eliminated here. Ronnie O'Sullivan is through to the 73rd Ranking Events Semi-Final of his truly wonderful career. He's beaten John Higgins in El Clasico 6-4.