2021 Players Championship

[Rane]

To loose only 4 frames out of 32 in the players championship is quite remarkable, not to mention thoroughly spanking ROS in the final.
I've often wondered how many more titles JH would have won if it weren't for 'you know what' in 2010.

I bet Jordan Brown feels a bit better now.

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He wasn?t out for that long. And played some of his best afterwards, so it?s difficult to tell.

[PatBlock]

He wasn?t out for that long. And played some of his best afterwards, so it?s difficult to tell.

True, but I find it hard to believe it didn't affect him.

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[trains]

To loose only 4 frames out of 32 in the players championship is quite remarkable, not to mention thoroughly spanking ROS in the final.
I've often wondered how many more titles JH would have won if it weren't for 'you know what' in 2010.

I bet Jordan Brown feels a bit better now.

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not sure it made much difference , he played very well to beat trump in the 2011 crucible final , i think he simply lacks consistency and should have won more , 19 tournament wins is that right behind o sullivan speaks volumes really , and he seemed so flat last autumn i dont remember o sullivan being that mediocre tbh .

[JimMalone]

What a week for John Higgins.

I don't remember ever witnessing such a dominant tournament by any player.
6-0 over Jordan Brown
6-0 over Mark Selby
6-1 over Kyren Wilson
10-3 over Ronnie O'Sullivan

So he won exactly 87.5 percent of the frames he played and not exactly against weak opposition.

[itsnoteasy]

Don't know what anyone else thinks but I though his old habit of having an inch or two inch gap between tip and cue ball returned today. For me he was definitely cueing up closer to the white in the other matches.

[balkend]

If Higgins carries this form into the Worlds Trump will be quaking in his slippers. Higgins has unfinished business with Trump from the final 2 yrs ago when Trump totally outplayed him with a brilliant display.

[JimMalone]

Form varies a lot over the course of a season and sometimes even from one tournament to the next one. Also the World Championship obviously has the longest matches and while Higgins made the final there in three of the last four editions I was observing that over the last two years his biggest problem was consistency. Maybe this has vanished with finding his old technique again, but I think it also has to do with a lack of fitness and concentration (in 2019 he totally payed the prize for two hard weeks in the final, where he looked totally exhausted).

[balkend]

Form varies a lot over the course of a season and sometimes even from one tournament to the next one. Also the World Championship obviously has the longest matches and while Higgins made the final there in three of the last four editions I was observing that over the last two years his biggest problem was consistency. Maybe this has vanished with finding his old technique again, but I think it also has to do with a lack of fitness and concentration (in 2019 he totally payed the prize for two hard weeks in the final, where he looked totally exhausted).

Good point , stamina for a long campaign is harder to maintain for the older guys, but Ronnie won last year so it remains to be seen. But anybody who draws John Higgins in a match in the foreseeable future will have a sinking feeling coming over them . Especially when they see Higgins sinking reds !

[JimMalone]

Good point , stamina for a long campaign is harder to maintain for the older guys, but Ronnie won last year so it remains to be seen. But anybody who draws John Higgins in a match in the foreseeable future will have a sinking feeling coming over them . Especially when they see Higgins sinking reds !

Yeah, but Ronnie is in a better physical shape than Higgins. Thanks to his running O'Sullivan is very fit.

Obviously Higgins always will be an overwhelming opponent, especially if he can have another great run in the Tour Championship before the World Championship.

[Nifty50]

Yeah, but Ronnie is in a better physical shape than Higgins. Thanks to his running O'Sullivan is very fit.
Obviously Higgins always will be an overwhelming opponent, especially if he can have another great run in the Tour Championship before the World Championship.

Probably too late for this World Championship but it would help Higgins if he did a bit of running and lost a couple of stone.

[vmax]

I found it rather boring, especially in the afternoon session where Higigns was doing a Selby and taking an inordinate amount of time over shot selection, I fell asleep twice
Ronnie has the right to play any way he wishes and if he doesn't want to enter into any grinding competition then it's up to him and him alone what shots he has a go at. I find his attitude very refreshing to be honest, stand toe to toe with me if you have the balls, if you don't then it won't change my game and I don't mind losing. It's a case of it ain't what you do it's the way that you do it for Ronnie now, otherwise there's no enjoyment, I take the hint that domination isn't really his thing, he's seeking his best game and now understands that it comes when it does, he can't force it.

The pockets need taking in a bit, that red that dropped after it stopped, the one where Ronnie got up off his seat, it was nowhere bloody near

I'm with itsnoteasy regarding Higgins address of the cue ball, looked about and inch away all week to me, I think he's made a stance change, cue more under his left eye, left foot further forward and elbow bang on the line rather than tucked slightly in. If he took up running he'd probably burst something, just pay particular attention to diet and walk further than a few laps of the snooker table a couple of times a week.

[MrRottweiler]

Only caught the last few matches of the tournament but as a John Higgins fan it's nice to see him producing form that used to make him devastating in the 90s when he was known as a robot because he never missed. Longer tournaments like the world championship will be a test but I hope his form holds up. I liked the look John gave Ronnie when he made the 144. John is pure class and to ignore the last black for a total clearance and go for the handshake shows that and his friendship with Ronnie.

[Mark187187]

Probably too late for this World Championship but it would help Higgins if he did a bit of running and lost a couple of stone.

Don't think it makes much difference to be honest, John's not exactly enormous, and he's been in the final 3 out of the last 4 years, and 2 of those were very close.

[Nifty50]

Don't think it makes much difference to be honest, John's not exactly enormous, and he's been in the final 3 out of the last 4 years, and 2 of those were very close.

I think he is enormous. If you see him face to face he’s not very tall and has a very very large waistline. Size wise he would more than likely be classed as obese. (Apologies John). When you’re playing a tournament which involves long matches over 17 days fitness is important to those players on the wrong side of 40. It’s difficult bending and stretching over a table with the equivalent of a bag of cement tied round your waist.

[JimMalone]

What a week for John Higgins.

I don't remember ever witnessing such a dominant tournament by any player.
6-0 over Jordan Brown
6-0 over Mark Selby
6-1 over Kyren Wilson
10-3 over Ronnie O'Sullivan

So he won exactly 87.5 percent of the frames he played and not exactly against weak opposition.

Just did a bit of research. The last tournament when a player won over 80 percent of his frames at a ranking event was at the 1993 Dubai Classic, when Hendry won 30 of 36 frames (83,3 %).

Hendry reached also 87,5 percent for a tournament at the 1990 Dubai Classic, winning 35 ouf of 40 frames.