In the first stage of the semi-finals of the World Snooker Championship, which just ended on April 29, 2022, Beijing time, the world's number one "Rocket" Ronnie O'Sullivan, with a 0-3 trail behind Higgins, won three consecutive sets with an excellent performance of 116 points, 107 points, 70 points, 54 points and 55 points, and finally drew 4-4 with the opponent to end the first eight sets of the two sides. Next, they will start a battle between the two sides in the second stage of the semi-finals at 21:30 today.
Higgins won three straight sets to lead O'Sullivan 3-0
In the first three innings between the two sides, Higgins was clearly the more dominant side. As soon as the game began, Higgins scored 76 points with multiple opportunities and a scattered offense and finally won the game 76:53 to take a 1-0 lead over O'Sullivan. In the second set, Higgins remained in strong form, taking a 2-0 lead with a 69:46 win over another set with a 50-point performance and a brilliant ability to take chances. In the third set, Higgins single-handedly blasted 58 points to win the game 87-32 and led O'Sullivan 3-0 to end the first three sets.
O'Sullivan won three straight sets in a 3-3 draw with Higgins
After three innings, O'Sullivan gradually regained his form. The game moved to the fourth inning, with O'Sullivan taking the lead with a superb 70-point performance to win the game 70-7 to trail Higgins 1-3. In the fifth set, O'Sullivan again scored 99 points with multiple chances and a single shot of 54 points and a scattered offense to win the game 99-1 and trail Higgins 2-3. In the sixth set, Higgins scored a 10-point lead and then O'Sullivan successfully scored a red ball to get a chance to play, and in the end, O'Sullivan won the game 116-10 with a 116-10 victory 3-3 draw to pull both sides back to the same running line.
O'Sullivan won another set to win 4-4 over Higgins
After the final two sets of the first stage of the game, Higgins' form has clearly declined, but his ability to seize opportunities is still very strong. In the seventh inning, Higgins scored the first 45 points and made a mistake, and then O'Sullivan made a mistake after scoring 55 points. Higgins then played a high-quality defense, O'Sullivan hit the ball wrong, Higgins scored a red ball and won the set 66:55 to take a 4-3 lead over O'Sullivan. In the eighth inning, O'Sullivan scored the first red ball and made a mistake after scoring 20 points. Higgins then made a defensive mistake and O'Sullivan scored the red ball again, scoring 107 points straight for a single shot and winning the game 127-0, ending the match at this stage with a 4-4 draw with Higgins.
Judging by the competitive state of the two players, O'Sullivan is clearly more advantageous, but Higgins' performance on the defensive end is obviously more lethal. So the score is better news for Higgins, after all, O'Sullivan's form is so good that it does not open the score gap. But the score is acceptable for both players, as it is a result of the combined performance showdown between the two sides. If O'Sullivan wants to win this game, he needs to do better on the defensive end. Higgins, on the other hand, needs a better competitive state if he wants to win.