John Higgins is relishing his “Class of ’92” showdown with Mark Williams on the Cazoo Masters after safely negotiating his passage to the second spherical.
The Scot, making a report twenty eighth look on the invitation occasion at Alexandra Palace eased previous Zhao Xintong 6-2 to e-book a conflict with fellow 46-year-old Williams, who disposed of defending champion Yan Bingtao on Sunday.
Requested about his rivalry with Williams and Ronnie O’Sullivan – the trio having claimed 13 world titles between them since rising from the ranks within the early Nineties – Higgins instructed BBC Sport: “I believe once we used to play, perhaps 10 years in the past, perhaps there was extra rivalry.
“I can’t communicate for the opposite two guys, however after I exit and I’m throughout from Mark and Ronnie, there’s a way of now you’re proud that you just’re nonetheless there, you’re nonetheless competing.
“I look as much as these guys, I believe they’re two wonderful gamers. I’ll simply exit on Thursday night time and hopefully we’ll have an awesome match.”
Higgins cruised to victory over an out-of-sorts Zhao, opening with a break of 100 to take the primary body and responding to his opponent’s 128 clearance within the second by taking a 4-1 lead together with a go to of 104 within the fifth.
UK champion Zhao lowered the deficit, however Higgins took a scrappy seventh body earlier than closing out the win with a break of 78, later citing his latest weight-loss as a think about his efficiency.
He stated: “I’ve by no means accomplished any health work in my entire life, my entire profession, and I might really feel in the previous couple of years actually the nerves attending to me just a little bit extra.
“However now with simply doing just a little little bit of health and shedding a little bit of weight, it helps 100 per cent.”
Kaynak: briturkish.com
