World Snooker Championship

It's bubbling nicely now.

I can't help think that the direction of this match has been set by those last two frames. Put it this way: If Selby led Higgins 5-1, I'd put my life on him going into the evening session at least 6-2 if not 7-1 instead. Selby is the most ruthless player in the game. He stands on your neck. Higgins, leading 5-1, had the first real chance to effectively put this match to bed. Two massive centuries later, and Selby gets out 3-5 down with momentum.

Higgins must remain favourite - and has to be the happier player having won the session - but the terms of engagement for tonight have been redrawn now. If Higgins goes on to lose from here, he will look back at these two frames. You just know Selby will point to them if he wins...
 


A fantastic win for John Higgins. Selby is a streak player these days - inconsistent - and that was shown today: lost 5 of the first 6; won the next 7: lost the last 5.

Old-school Selby wins that - but he's not what he was. Neither is Higgins, but I suspect he will take so much out of that. He'll believe again.

Both will contend in Sheffield. I'm sticking with Kyren to break the curse.
 
Drico said:
A fantastic win for John Higgins. Selby is a streak player these days - inconsistent - and that was shown today: lost 5 of the first 6; won the next 7: lost the last 5.

Old-school Selby wins that - but he's not what he was. Neither is Higgins, but I suspect he will take so much out of that. He'll believe again.

Both will contend in Sheffield. I'm sticking with Kyren to break the curse.
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The heavens intervened there. One second Selby couldn't miss, he went ahead, and then everything was snookered or flukes.

Very strange last three frames.
 
Rita_Poon said:
The heavens intervened there. One second Selby couldn't miss, he went ahead, and then everything was snookered or flukes.

Very strange last three frames.
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The run of the balls - Higgins had two flukes, one a snooker, in those final frames. Little things.

I suspect both players will take a lot out of this week. Selby, if he's superstitious, might also be thankful he didn't win. Tour champions come a cropper at the Crucible...
 
That remarkable double-turnaround yesterday has the effect of throwing Selby into O'Sullivan's quadrant at the Crucible:

Kyren Wilson (1) v qualifier
Jak Jones (16) v qualifier
Neil Robertson (9) v qualifier
Mark Allen (8) v qualifier
-------
Ronnie O'Sullivan (5) v qualifier
Zhang Anda (12) v qualifier
Si Jiahui (13) v qualifier
Mark Selby (4) v qualifier
-------
John Higgins (3) v qualifier
Xiao Guodong (14) v qualifier
Barry Hawkins (11) v qualifier
Mark Williams (6) v qualifier
-------
Luca Brecel (7) v qualifier
Ding Junhui (10) v qualifier
Shaun Murphy (15) v qualifier
Judd Trump (2) v qualifier
 

Four world champions in the top half, five in the bottom.

Thirteeen world titles in the top half, ten in the bottom.
 
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Drico said:
That remarkable double-turnaround yesterday has the effect of throwing Selby into O'Sullivan's quadrant at the Crucible:

Kyren Wilson (1) v qualifier
Jak Jones (16) v qualifier
Neil Robertson (9) v qualifier
Mark Allen (8) v qualifier
-------
Ronnie O'Sullivan (5) v qualifier
Zhang Anda (12) v qualifier
Si Jiahui (13) v qualifier
Mark Selby (4) v qualifier
-------
John Higgins (3) v qualifier
Xiao Guodong (14) v qualifier
Barry Hawkins (11) v qualifier
Mark Williams (6) v qualifier
-------
Luca Brecel (7) v qualifier
Ding Junhui (10) v qualifier
Shaun Murphy (15) v qualifier
Judd Trump (2) v qualifier
Click to expand...
I don't think Ronnie will play
 

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