【Billiards Information】Players Tournament Can Higgins replicate the sweet memories of a year ago?

A daily message to take you to know the big things inside and outside of billiards.

On the second matchday of the Snooker Players Championship, O'Sullivan defeated Trump, and Yan Bingtao and Zhao Xintong won one and lost. At 9 o'clock Beijing time tonight, Higgins played against Wafi, while Brechel met Jimmy Robertson; at 3 a.m., Williams and Walton competed for the first ticket to the final four. Kuaishou "Star Club" live broadcast continues, stay tuned!

Higgins is playing as the defending champion. It's been 12 months since last year's Players Championship summit, and the highlight of his career is still a different memory in the veteran's heart.

There's something special about a player who can get into the discussion of the greatest players of all time, a player with 31 ranking titles, including four world championships, and who sees a ranking game as "the best snooker I've ever played."

Higgins, now 46 but still ranked sixth in the world, described his performance at last year's Players Tournament.

Last year's Players Tournament was held behind closed doors due to the pandemic, which was the only regret, but millions of viewers had the privilege of sharing the moment in front of the screen.

Looking back at last year's Players Championship, Higgins swept Jordan Brown 6-0 in the first round, and the Wizards scored consecutive singles of 122, 133 and 121 points, and then ended with a single 57 and two 53 points.

But will Selby be a bigger obstacle to the frantically running Higgins? It turned out not at all. Selby unbelievably scored just seven points in the game, and Higgins showed masterful technical and tactical qualities in the game.

The other players left on the draw had already felt the danger, but by the semi-finals, Wilson had barely given Higgins any threats, handing over the gun 1-6. The most important final followed, in which Higgins defeated O'Sullivan, a fellow member of the "Class of '92" and a teenager for more than 30 years.

"There is no doubt that from start to finish, it was the best I played in a race. Of course, winning at the World Championships is always special because it's the biggest victory we can fight for, and the World Championship represents your resume. ”

'But last year's Players Championship, I was able to deliver that level of performance against such a formidable opponent – the best performance I've had in my 30-year career.

"I'm very, very proud of my performance. What I'm most satisfied with is the concentration, which I've never let myself wander. I was able to win almost from start to finish. I felt like I was playing coldly, which I haven't seen often in my career, but I did that week. ”

"I can't wait to come back and defend my title. You can't idealize to expect that this level of performance will often occur, so you need to cherish everything that has happened. That week, it was all a breeze. ”

"The Players Tournament will always have a special memory because it's a big tournament with a strong squad."

"It's hard to say which game was the most satisfying (last year). Of course, any 10-3 final win over Ronnie is very different. However, the 6-0 win over Selby at the peak of the game only allowed him to get seven points... Very special. That quarter-final really set the tone for the rest. ”