On April 25, 2022, Beijing time, the snooker World Championship ended the 9th matchday competition, the previously sluggish Higgins finally broke out, he won 7 consecutive sets in the second stage, although the last set was reversed by the opponent, but the second stage still gained a 7-1 lead, the big score 11-5 lead, the promotion is in sight. Higgins' number one rival, Neil Robertson, is 7-9 behind and is afraid he'll be out of the game.
At this World Championship, Higgins is the No. 6 seed, and of course, it is also a favorite to win the championship. However, he was in more general form, as he lost to Neil Robertson before playing at the World Championships and was reversed by Robertson with a big lead, which seriously hit Higgins' morale. Fortunately, Higgins had good luck, easily beating Tachaia in the first round of the World Championships, and meeting another qualifier, Sankam, in the second round.
The opponent is average, which is a good opportunity for Higgins to adjust his form. In the first stage against Sancham, Higgins once led 4-1, but there were too many mistakes after that, and Sankam's single shot quality was also very average, but he won 3 sets in a row to tie 4. Many fans said that if Higgins is still in this state, there is a possibility that the game will be upset.
However, Higgins is an experienced world champion after all, he has a brilliant record in Crucible, and his ability to adjust is indeed very strong. In the second stage, Higgins found his touch, and in the case of frequent mistakes by opponents, Higgins successfully took over the game, playing a single shot of 125 points, 60 points, 69 points, 100 points, winning 7 consecutive sets, and suddenly opening the score. In the 16th set, Higgins was reversed by Sankam, but in the second stage, he still played a 7-1, which was quite strong.
After the first two stages, Higgins took an 11-5 lead, a huge lead. Now think about it, if Higgins hadn't made so many mistakes in the first stage, he might have eliminated his opponent in just two stages, saving stamina. However, an 11-5 score is a sure win, and Higgins only needs to win two more sets to advance to the quarterfinals.
In addition, Higgins also has good news, that is, his number one enemy is afraid to be out of the cold. Judging by the signing table, Higgins will face a real challenge in the quarter-finals, and the potential opponent is title-winning favourite Neil Robertson. However, Neil Robertson encountered stubborn resistance, and his opponent Lisovsky shot a 3-shot 100 in the second stage, and Neil Robertson only shot 3 shots of 50+, and after the second stage, he fell behind 7-9 and faced a exit.
Although Neil Robertson also has a world title and is still the number one favorite to win the tournament, the results in Crucible in these seasons are indeed very average, and if he can't complete the reversal in the third stage, it will obviously be a good thing for Higgins, and the hopes of advancing to the final four will be greatly increased!