Saturday 28 April 2012

Hendry Surprised by Higgins


Stephen Hendry completed a 13-4 win over defending champion John Higgins in the second round of the World Championship.

Higgins played one of the worst sessions of his career on Friday night to gift it 7-1 to Hendry, who had already been 5-3 in front after a tighter morning eight frames.

And armed with a 12-4 lead, there was no way seven-time world champion Hendry was going to lose the long-awaited first Crucible meeting with his fellow Scot.

Higgins was on course to take the opening frame on Saturday afternoon but missed a pink, and a break of 64 from Hendry left him needing a snooker.

Surprisingly, perhaps, Higgins played on, with professional pride kicking in. But he could not find the snooker he required, and when he left a red on, Higgins offered his hand in defeat.

Hendry plays another of the Scottish contingent, Stephen Maguire, in the last eight.

World number 23 Hendry admitted the one-sided nature of the match, and particularly the middle session, had surprised him.

He said: "Last night was probably one of the strangest sessions of snooker I've played at the Crucible. I'm fortunate in the fact John's probably not played as bad in his life at the Crucible as he did last night.

"You feel lucky if you get one or two chances against John in a frame. I was getting at times four, five or six chances in a frame.

"And at times I was coming to the table in shock and not really knowing what to do because it was weird. But you've just to try to win the frames whatever way you can.

"If someone said I would beat John Higgins 13-4 I would say they were nuts before.

"I fully expected him to come out last night with all guns blazing. When his back's against the wall he plays normally his best snooker.

"So I was expecting a really big session, and really my goal last night was to hopefully have a lead still going into the final session or else be very, very close.

"In the end it just turned into a weird session of snooker."

Higgins was puzzled by how he had played. 

He said: "I have no idea what happened last night. Stephen was very good in the balls, and looked back to his best especially in the first session.

"From 5-3 I thought it would be close, but I ended up dragging him down to my level. I can't describe how bad it was, really, really bad.

"I probably have played worse, but this place can do that to you. I have seen it, it can give you your best moments but also your worst nightmares.

"Even with how bad I was feeling I thought if I could get to 10-6 I had a chance, but I missed a pink and at 11-4 I knew it was over.

"You watch other matches and players and think 'How did they miss that?', but when you're out there and it's going wrong you can see it coming.

"Everything was hard or difficult, even simple positional shots. It's a hard thing, a tough place when you're going through turmoil."



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