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JOHN Higgins withstood a stunning comeback from Ronnie O'Sullivan to stumble into into the UK Championship final in Telford with a 9-8 victory.
The three times world champion blew a six frame advantage before scrambling over line against the four times UK Champion. Yet for a time it all looked so routine for the Scot who for most of the match did not give Ronnie a moment to settle into his buttersmooth rhythm as the Scotsman put together an exhibition of breakbuilding and textbook safety that left Ronnie with virtually no table time to settle himself in.
It was John who got a flyer as he won a tactical opening frame and made Ronnie pay for an elementary miss in frame 2 as he rolled in a break of 116 to leave Ronnie rubbing his eyes as to what was happening. Ronnie though is not easily overawed and pulled himself into the final with a break of 116 to close to 2-1. Higgins though, his face a picture of steely determination made sure Ronnie remained seated for the next frame as he hammered in a break of 83 to leave Ronnie pointless in the frame.
With Higgins holding a 3-1 advantage at the mid session interval the onus was on Ronnie to stay as close to him as possible. Higgins is a great front runner and doesn't relinquish leads easily. Yet it was now also a test of Ronnie's resolve- but as he returned from the interval came the frame that just about decided the outcome of the match . Ronnie's break of 61 was not enough to ensure the frame and Higgins could pinch it on the black with a clearance. Higgins didn't flinch for one second as he drilled in the red and proceeded to clear up to snatch the frame. The dye was effectively cast. It certainly knocked Ronnie's self belief as the Scotsman put the boot in on the Rocket as he rammed in a clearance of 127 to lead 5-1.
What an advantage to be holding against the Rocket - Higgins had put his rival firmly on the rack and he wasn't about to let up he pieced together a collective total of 67 to wrap up a 6-1 lead. Ronnie needed a miracle. He was in deep trouble and he knew it. To stand any chance of staying in the competition he badly needed the final frame of the session. But what an answer he came up with - a break of 110 to close to 6-2 at the interval.
Resuming Higgins needed three frames to book a place in the final. An intial run of 23 came to an end with a missed red to the corner. Left in good position Ronnie powered in a red to the corner and looked set for a good counter attack only to miss a blue to the "yellow" pocket. A run of 20 saw John extend his lead in the frame to 43-14 wrapping up the frame at his third attempt. Taking full advantage of Ronnie's discomfort John pounced on a missed yellow in the next frame from Ronnie and blasted in a break of 109, before falling on the final brown. He now led 8-3. Was Ronnie about to be humiliated in a way he had never experienced in his professional career.
But Ronnie is a proud man, with immense pride in what he does. Hammering in a long red to the top corner the Rocket kept his dreams alive with a break of 57 before forcing a mistake from Higgins when the Scot's attempt to roll in a long red along the side cushion ended with him leaving it over the top corner pocket with the white just behind it. To Ronnie's fans relief they saw the Rocket make no mistake with a second opportunity with a clearance of 47 to reduce his deficit to 8-3.
Heartened Ronnie then took the match beyond the interval when he drilled in along red to the corner and complete a total clearance of 134. If anything it restored a bit of battered pride and kept him in the match trailing now 8-4.
Fighting tooth and nail to stay in the match Ronnie's early run of 15 came to an end with a self inflicted snooker that prevented him from hitting the black, thanks to a red that was obscuring his line. Trying to navigate a way to hit a colour Ronnie on three occasions missed, changing to the yellow he missed on three occasions with that one, before referee Jan Verhaas called Ronnie for feathering the red. But the Dutch official did not call a miss, because of an anomoly within the rules. As both players tried to work out what had happened it seemed to affect John more than Ronnie as he won a safety duel and banged in a long red for 49 only to miss a black to the corner. That left one red, which Higgins sank with a pink, leaving just the colours. With the yellow obscured partially by the pink Ronnie played to clip the yellow- miraculously he fluked it into the top corner pocket and with the green and brown wrapped up the frame to close to 8-5. Game on in Telford.
Initially it looked as if John had managed to push what had happened to the back of his memory but then missed a pink to the centre when well placed on 32. Ronnie countered with a 38 before leaving a red in the corner pocket jaws. But John couldn't take full advantage as he was only able to post 14 extra points which left only the colours. As John left Ronnie an elementary yellow at close range the Rocket steadied himself and dispatched it and followed with green, brown, blue, pink and black to leave his fans wondering if he could after all that had happened pull off the great escape.
Higgins seemed to be still thinking about what had gone before and he was given plenty of time to sit and brood over it as Ronnie fired in breaks of 32 and 63 to pull back to 7-8. The alarm bells were surely ringing for the wizzard of Wishaw and he needed some magic of his own- and quickly.
But all that was to come was torture as Ronnie's long red to the corner wiped it's feet before dropping in, and with the pink at his mercy over the second the Rocket dished up some of his own magic to roll in a break of 57 to send the match into a final frame shoot out - that just over an hour seemed impossible. Which way would it swing now - Could Ronnie pull it off or would John regroup to stagger over the line.
Higgins looked to be beaten mentally as he left a red over the corner. As Ronnie powered it in Higgins must have been resigned to his fate- but Ronnie then managed to miss a pink to throw John a lifeline. And how he grabbed it - he rolled in a mid length red and with nothing short of total concentration and skill slowly but surely put together a break of 56 to put Ronnie in deep trouble - snookered behind the pink on the last two reds. Ronnie's escape across the cushions feathered the red and then left a red along the side cushion at Higgins mercy. Steadying himself it you could have heard a pin drop as John rolled the red. Turning he saw Ronnie walking towards him to congratulate him and concede the match as John completed a 9-8 victory to take his place in the final against Ding Junhui. But after a match of that ilk, how do you follow that. John and Ding it is over to you.
Suzy Jardine
The three times world champion blew a six frame advantage before scrambling over line against the four times UK Champion. Yet for a time it all looked so routine for the Scot who for most of the match did not give Ronnie a moment to settle into his buttersmooth rhythm as the Scotsman put together an exhibition of breakbuilding and textbook safety that left Ronnie with virtually no table time to settle himself in.
It was John who got a flyer as he won a tactical opening frame and made Ronnie pay for an elementary miss in frame 2 as he rolled in a break of 116 to leave Ronnie rubbing his eyes as to what was happening. Ronnie though is not easily overawed and pulled himself into the final with a break of 116 to close to 2-1. Higgins though, his face a picture of steely determination made sure Ronnie remained seated for the next frame as he hammered in a break of 83 to leave Ronnie pointless in the frame.
With Higgins holding a 3-1 advantage at the mid session interval the onus was on Ronnie to stay as close to him as possible. Higgins is a great front runner and doesn't relinquish leads easily. Yet it was now also a test of Ronnie's resolve- but as he returned from the interval came the frame that just about decided the outcome of the match . Ronnie's break of 61 was not enough to ensure the frame and Higgins could pinch it on the black with a clearance. Higgins didn't flinch for one second as he drilled in the red and proceeded to clear up to snatch the frame. The dye was effectively cast. It certainly knocked Ronnie's self belief as the Scotsman put the boot in on the Rocket as he rammed in a clearance of 127 to lead 5-1.
What an advantage to be holding against the Rocket - Higgins had put his rival firmly on the rack and he wasn't about to let up he pieced together a collective total of 67 to wrap up a 6-1 lead. Ronnie needed a miracle. He was in deep trouble and he knew it. To stand any chance of staying in the competition he badly needed the final frame of the session. But what an answer he came up with - a break of 110 to close to 6-2 at the interval.
Resuming Higgins needed three frames to book a place in the final. An intial run of 23 came to an end with a missed red to the corner. Left in good position Ronnie powered in a red to the corner and looked set for a good counter attack only to miss a blue to the "yellow" pocket. A run of 20 saw John extend his lead in the frame to 43-14 wrapping up the frame at his third attempt. Taking full advantage of Ronnie's discomfort John pounced on a missed yellow in the next frame from Ronnie and blasted in a break of 109, before falling on the final brown. He now led 8-3. Was Ronnie about to be humiliated in a way he had never experienced in his professional career.
But Ronnie is a proud man, with immense pride in what he does. Hammering in a long red to the top corner the Rocket kept his dreams alive with a break of 57 before forcing a mistake from Higgins when the Scot's attempt to roll in a long red along the side cushion ended with him leaving it over the top corner pocket with the white just behind it. To Ronnie's fans relief they saw the Rocket make no mistake with a second opportunity with a clearance of 47 to reduce his deficit to 8-3.
Heartened Ronnie then took the match beyond the interval when he drilled in along red to the corner and complete a total clearance of 134. If anything it restored a bit of battered pride and kept him in the match trailing now 8-4.
Fighting tooth and nail to stay in the match Ronnie's early run of 15 came to an end with a self inflicted snooker that prevented him from hitting the black, thanks to a red that was obscuring his line. Trying to navigate a way to hit a colour Ronnie on three occasions missed, changing to the yellow he missed on three occasions with that one, before referee Jan Verhaas called Ronnie for feathering the red. But the Dutch official did not call a miss, because of an anomoly within the rules. As both players tried to work out what had happened it seemed to affect John more than Ronnie as he won a safety duel and banged in a long red for 49 only to miss a black to the corner. That left one red, which Higgins sank with a pink, leaving just the colours. With the yellow obscured partially by the pink Ronnie played to clip the yellow- miraculously he fluked it into the top corner pocket and with the green and brown wrapped up the frame to close to 8-5. Game on in Telford.
Initially it looked as if John had managed to push what had happened to the back of his memory but then missed a pink to the centre when well placed on 32. Ronnie countered with a 38 before leaving a red in the corner pocket jaws. But John couldn't take full advantage as he was only able to post 14 extra points which left only the colours. As John left Ronnie an elementary yellow at close range the Rocket steadied himself and dispatched it and followed with green, brown, blue, pink and black to leave his fans wondering if he could after all that had happened pull off the great escape.
Higgins seemed to be still thinking about what had gone before and he was given plenty of time to sit and brood over it as Ronnie fired in breaks of 32 and 63 to pull back to 7-8. The alarm bells were surely ringing for the wizzard of Wishaw and he needed some magic of his own- and quickly.
But all that was to come was torture as Ronnie's long red to the corner wiped it's feet before dropping in, and with the pink at his mercy over the second the Rocket dished up some of his own magic to roll in a break of 57 to send the match into a final frame shoot out - that just over an hour seemed impossible. Which way would it swing now - Could Ronnie pull it off or would John regroup to stagger over the line.
Higgins looked to be beaten mentally as he left a red over the corner. As Ronnie powered it in Higgins must have been resigned to his fate- but Ronnie then managed to miss a pink to throw John a lifeline. And how he grabbed it - he rolled in a mid length red and with nothing short of total concentration and skill slowly but surely put together a break of 56 to put Ronnie in deep trouble - snookered behind the pink on the last two reds. Ronnie's escape across the cushions feathered the red and then left a red along the side cushion at Higgins mercy. Steadying himself it you could have heard a pin drop as John rolled the red. Turning he saw Ronnie walking towards him to congratulate him and concede the match as John completed a 9-8 victory to take his place in the final against Ding Junhui. But after a match of that ilk, how do you follow that. John and Ding it is over to you.
Suzy Jardine
A great report of a great match 
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