Snooker legend John Higgins was left seething after his thrilling tussle with Chris Wakelin was cut off in its prime. The pair have been embroiled in a tense quarter-final at the International Championship in China, which went all the way to a final frame.
However, frustratingly, both players had to wait hours for the decider to take place for scheduling reasons. After Wakelin tied things up to make it 5-5 in the best-of-11 affair, Higgins returned to his seat, expecting the match-deciding frame to take place there and then.
However, with the start of the evening session – headlined by Chinese hero Ding Junhui’s quarter-final against world champion Kyren Wilson – just minutes away, play was called to a halt. Upon realising, Higgins looked furious and appeared to mouth an expletive before storming out of the arena, with even the referee looking mystified by the situation.
It was the second day in a row that a match involving Higgins had been held up in such a manner. Eurosport’s Philip Studd said on commentary: “Higgins has just been told that’s it, and you saw his reaction, he wasn’t happy. Goodness me. You’ve got to assume that’s the end of proceedings.
“Once again, for the second day running, John Higgins will be coming back for the evening session which is due to start in 35 minutes.”
Co-commentator Neal Foulds felt officials had little choice but to curtail play. He said: “He’s absolutely enraged by it but I think they’ve made the right decision, because there’s a match to be played in half-an-hour, crowds to come in and out. Common sense prevails.”
Higgins’ mood won’t have improved when the match eventually resumed as Wakelin took the final frame to set up a semi-final clash with recent Wuhan Open winner Xiao Guodong, who defeated Jackson Page 6-4.
There was further Chinese success as Ding defeated the in-form Wilson. He will face the winner of Gary Wilson vs Xu Si in the semis.
Despite his exit, Higgins is still assured of a place at the upcoming UK Championship after regaining his place in the top 16 of the world rankings. The Wizard of Wishaw dropped out of the top 16 for the first time in almost 30 years earlier this season, although he quickly regained his spot and will not need to qualify for the York showpiece, which begins on November 23.
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