An emotional Higgins reflected on the "best ever" clearance: "It's going to stay with me forever."
On May 1, 2024, according to Hegel, Higgins said that his amazing tiebreaker against Allen at the World Championships will always be with him, and said that this was one of his best moments in snooker.
Late Monday night, the Wizard and the Little Steel Cannon played an epic match at Crucible, which went all the way to 12-12.
Allen looked to be the winning side, taking the lead in the tiebreaker for 62 points before missing a red ball, but the chances of giving Higgins a narrow win were slim because of the mistake and leaving the scoring line every day.
The wizard barely thought about it and came to the table and immediately landed a flip bag into the middle pocket, an attack that left him in complete trouble, and Hendry considered it the bravest shot option he had ever seen.
Higgins scored 71 points in a single stroke, scored a black ball to win, and locked up a place in the top 8, where he will meet Kyren Wilson.
The four-time World Champion is known for his epic "dish" winning mess, but the last two or three years have been a test for him, as he has gone down the wrong path in a series of painful and narrowly escaped defeats rather than victorious opponents.
Considering the situation, he felt that this latest dish was the best he had ever had.
Higgins said of his clearance: "In the last few years, going through everything that came before and getting back up under the pressure of the end. It's the best. ”
The 48-year-old admitted that his emotions were running high when Allen was scoring, and if he lost, his seeding position would be in jeopardy and that he might never return to Crucible.
"In the tiebreaker, I just want to be in a chair with a positive mindset and not release any negative energy," he said. But I'm also working on myself, and I'm preparing for the closing remarks, what I'm going to say to Alan. I never thought he would make a mistake. ”
"I'm really enjoying the opportunity to play at Crucible again. When he was about 50 years old, Mr. Ma said he looked around and thought, "If I never get here again, I'll miss this place." So luckily, things changed and I had another chance to win and make more memories. ”
Flipping into the bag on the first shot was the Scottish snooker phenom's moment, but it reminded him of another classic moment he had at the pool table.
In the 2006 Masters final against the Rockets, Higgins cleared the table to win the tiebreaker, which also included a flip in the bag.
"When I was ready to flip the bag, I think it reminded me of the rockets in the Masters, and I was thinking that if I flipped the red ball into the middle pocket, it would be special," he said. ”
This was followed by a high-quality clearance, followed by a memorable celebration as he raised his arms to the crowd at Crucible.
"You just want to stay in the moment. Try to push the club straight. I felt very calm. I can't even remember what I did when I scored the winning black goal, but it was a proud moment for me. It's incredible. It was one of the best moments I've ever had. ”
Higgins acknowledges that people's belief in moments has waned over the past few years, but that could change with this effort under intense pressure.
"It should make me do a lot of things in the future, it should work wonders for me, and now I can do it in the hardest places to hit snooker," he said. That should give me confidence. Keep moving forward, and when you believe in yourself, something good may happen. The good memories will stay with me forever. ”
"Don't be too disappointed in yourself because I still have the ability to make some good memories. Always believe. ”
Despite the nightmarish ending of the match, Allen sent a classic message to the wizard that Higgins could go all the way to a fifth World Title.
"I ended up telling him that he could go on and win the title, and he was one of the few who could win. Allen says he just needs to believe it. I know he didn't have the best results in winning games, but not many people could do that when Crucible was 12-12 down and he managed to come back from behind. ”
"He can go on and win the final championship, the wizard is a good guy and I would list him as a friend in the circle. I'm disappointed to lose, but he's one of those people I'm cheering for. (Welcome to click to pay attention to Runwu AB, please indicate the source for reprinting, thank you)