Seven Time Champ Hendry Retires

Hendry on his way to Maguire defeat

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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Hendry Aims for Betfred World

Seven-time champion Stephen Hendry has vowed to do his all to qualify for the Betfred.com World Championship.

The world number 23 has fallen so far down the rankings he is incredibly no longer guaranteed a place at Sheffield's Crucible theatre.

Hendry is due to take on Chinese cueman Yu Delu and the 43-year-old admits having to go through qualifying is 'not enjoyable'.

The Scot, who dominated the sport during the 1990s, knows the importance of approaching the game with the right attitude, stating any negative thoughts will result in defeat.

"I've got the attitude that I just go there to win," explained Hendry on his upcoming qualifier.

"I don't go there hoping to play well, or hoping to play fantastic snooker, I just go there to get the match won and that's the main thing.

"I don't think I'll enjoy it. To have to qualify for the Crucible, where I've won seven world titles and had a great career, is not going to be enjoyable.

"But I'll just knuckle down and the important thing is to win the match. It doesn't matter how I win, I've just got to win it.

"It's all about having the right attitude. If you go there with the wrong attitude, depressed that you've got to qualify, you'll lose."

John Higgins is pulling for his fellow Scot to avoid an upset, so that the tournament throws up the possibility of the pair playing each other at the Crucible for the first time.

"That's one of the players I think I could be drawn against," reigning world champion Higgins said.

"If you look at the career Stephen's had, and I've done not so bad myself, for me and him to never have played at the Crucible is strange.

"We've never even got close to playing and I would love to play Stephen Hendry at the Crucible. I think it would be a great occasion for Scotland."

Hendry Surprises Robertson in Wales

Veteran Stephen Hendry caused a surprise in the first round of the Welsh Open with a 4-1 victory over Australian Neil Robertson.

The 43-year-old Scot scored heavily, opening with a break of 62 before being pegged back by Robertson's 135.

But it was the Masters champion's only joy as Hendry clinched a frame on a re-spotted black and adding breaks of 67 and 86 to advance into round two.

He will face either Ken Doherty or Mark Allen in the last 16.

"Wow great performance by Hendry to beat me there. That was the Hendry of old unfortunately for me," Robertson wrote on Twitter.

World number one Mark Selby survived a scare against qualifier Sam Baird to narrowly scrape into the next round with a 4-3 victory.

The Leicester man was 3-2 behind but showed his grit to take the last two frames.

He will face Martin Gould who triumped after a 4-2 win over the 2002 world champion Peter Ebdon. The Englishman hit breaks off 99, 82 and 73 to go through.

Welshman Mark Williams also advanced with a 4-3 win over England's Andy Hicks.

The two-time world champion was behind three times, but edged out his opponent by taking the last two frames to set up a clash with either Ronnie O'Sullivan or Marco Fu.

Meanwhile, Stephen Lee brushed aside Michael Holt 4-1 to book his place in the second round.

The 37-year-old from Wiltshire took the first frame but Holt levelled in the next. However, Lee went ahead in the third and did not look back to book a meeting with Tom Ford.