Higgins Ends O’sullivan’s Bid For Eighth World Snooker Title In Final-frame Thriller

Ronnie O’Sullivan’s bid for a record-breaking eighth Crucible title was shattered successful Sheffield arsenic John Higgins capped a singular comeback pinch a 13-12 triumph to move into nan World Snooker Championship quarter-finals.

O’Sullivan doubly led by 5 frames but mislaid six frames connected nan bounce crossed nan last 2 sessions, and Higgins fired 3 hundreds of years connected Monday earlier holding his nervus to get complete nan statement successful nan decider and seal 1 of his astir celebrated wins.

A stunned O’Sullivan had shown his vexation by thumping nan array midway done their penultimate convention connected Sunday night, arsenic his chap 50-year-old belatedly stirred to eat into a 9-4 shortage and extremity nan nighttime conscionable 2 frames adrift.

O’Sullivan had nan first chance to widen his lead connected Monday but collapsed down connected a mid-range reddish successful nan opening framework and Higgins replied successful merciless fashion, taking nan framework pinch a break of 58 past reeling disconnected consecutive hundreds of years to spell up for nan first clip astatine 10-9.

Higgins’s tally of framework wins ended successful nan adjacent arsenic O’Sullivan responded pinch a coolly-dispatched break of 62 to haul level, past a superb 93 pinch nan achromatic retired of committee suggested nan favourite was backmost connected people for victory.

But location was simply nary stopping nan Scot, who deed backmost pinch his 3rd period of nan convention to level again astatine 11-11 and fired a break of 88 to move wrong a framework of victory. O’Sullivan forced a decider pinch a break of 81, but Higgins was not to beryllium denied.