On 11 December 2021, the semi-finals of the Scottish Open Snooker were all over. O'Sullivan was in no form and was beaten by Higgins in an exaggerated 6-1 score. The final will take place between Higgins and Brechel. The former have reached the finals in all three "home series" that have been played this season and have won the Northern Ireland Open, the English Open and the runner-up of the championship in a row. Now, Higgins is only one game away from his fourth asian season.
The 75th ever "Battle of the Greeks" was staged in the semi-finals of the Scottish Open, the sixth meeting of the year and the third of the season. It is a pity that everyone expects the fierce confrontation between the opponents in Chinese chess has not arrived, and the process of the game can only be described as "one-sided".
O'Sullivan appeared to have completely lost the "Cue action", with flaws at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends, and Higgins scored a single shot of 76 and 125 points to take a 3-0 lead. In the 4th set, O'Sullivan's hand felt "back to the light", facing a complicated situation and playing a single 86 points, trailing to 1-3. Returning from the break, O'Sullivan's form once again fell to the bottom, and Higgins scored a single 74 and 98 points to keep a clean sheet in the 5th-7 innings, beating O'Sullivan 6-1 to advance to the final.
Higgins said after the game: "I'm delighted. I just try to stay focused, put the ball in front of me, and don't look at the score. I felt like I was focused throughout the game. I never think I'm more of an advantage than Ronnie, and it's been happening all the time throughout our careers, you're going to play a lot of games, sometimes the other side plays better, sometimes you win a couple of games. This has always been the case, and it is likely to continue.
"I think you would say without hesitation, 'I'm in good shape right now'. The top players want to win, and they usually do. I just want to get back there and win and tomorrow I will do my best. Tomorrow's victory will mean everything. It would be special if he could play Anthony in the final. I know Luca is a great boy and a great player and he will have a lot of opportunities to fight for something. It could be a special moment, with two Scottish players reaching the Scottish Open final, and it will be a special moment."
Higgins' "wishful thinking" has not come to fruition, and he will face Brechel in the final. The Belgian "Bullet" scored a single 96 point in the first set against McGill. After that, although Brechel never played 50+, he won the match point 5-0 and eventually beat McGill 6-1 to reach the final.
Higgins has reached the final for the sixth time this year. Higgins won the Players' Championship by beating O'Sullivan 10-3 last season; lost the Masters final 8-10 to Yan Bingtao; this season Higgins reached the finals in all three "home series" that have been played, and have won the Northern Ireland Open, the English Open and the runner-up of the championship in a row. At present, Higgins has a 22-place finish, beating O'Sullivan and Hendry, and is proud of the ranking runner-up list. Today, Higgins is only one defeat away from his fourth place in the season.
Results of the 11th (semi-finals).
L. Brechel 6-1 A. McGill
0-96(96)，51-60，11-67，42-60，1-58，90(90)-1，54(54)-77
R. O'Sullivan 1-6 J. Higgins
0-112(76)，8-71，9-125(125)，86(86)-44，0-64，0-74(74)，0-98(98)
12th (Final) Schedule
21:00/27:00 (3:00), L. Brechel vs. J. Higgins