John Higgins will meet the challenge from world Number 57 Joe O'Connor in the first round of the Northern Ireland Open at 8pm Beijing time on October 10.
Higgins and Leicester's 25-year-old O'Connor have a record of four encounters, with the two sides drawing two wins and two losses. Higgins believes O'Connor has the potential to succeed on the Tour. However, he also said that the high level of the tour at this stage makes it difficult for young players to break through.
Higgins did not have a game task after the British Open, and after a break of more than a month, he was not ideal for the pre-match preparation for the Following Northern Ireland Open, but he was confident that he would prepare for the intensive schedule in the second half of the next period.
Higgins said: "Joe (O'Connor) is a very good player on the Tour. He won the Rookie of the Year award the year he turned professional, and many people expected him. It seems obviously a little difficult now, and people expect him to win more games. At the beginning of his career, he was not optimistic. He had a bright mind, and I think he must have practiced with TomFord a lot. He's a hard-working young man and I think he's going to do really well in the game. ”
"There is no doubt that the situation is more difficult for young players now. If they had walked through my time, it wouldn't have been better. Mark Williams and Ronnie are not old, with Neil Robertson, Mark Selby and Sean Murphy as mainstays, as well as karen Wilson, Anthony McGill and Judd Trump, who are all playing at a very high level. For young players, it is much harder to reach the top 16. If they can do that in the face of today's brutal competition, they're the top players they deserve. If they can break into the top 16, they can do more than they do now. ”
"I don't feel very good about my preparation. I've been practicing with Stephen Maguire for the past week. I really don't expect much from the next game. After six or seven weeks of rest, I've only been practicing for less than ten days now. Like everyone else, I put away my clubs and relaxed. You know that in the next few months, the events were a lot more intense, so I just wanted to try to keep the feel. The long season has only just begun. ”
"Waterfront Hall is a great venue. Although I made it to the semi-final once, I didn't do well there. The players were there with full support from the local fans. This is a venue for snooker matches. I'm looking forward to it, and I have a couple of friends there as well, who usually come to watch the game as well. This time I'm going to take my wife and two kids over, and they happen to be on vacation in October. We stayed by the sea about an hour from Belfast. Hopefully I'll be able to get back in time to race, and if unfortunately I'm out early, I'll have a great holiday with the kids. ”