Stephen Hendry snooker blog
Posts tagged Stephen Hendry
Ronnie O’Sullivan wins to set up Stephen Hendry clash
0502 days
by Ismail Vedat
in Uncategorized
Three-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan beat Jimmy White 3-1 to reach the last 16 of the snooker World Open in Glasgow.
After the madness of his refusal to pot the black for the 147 maximum on Monday, O’Sullivan missed easy balls in the opening frame today, presenting chances to White. However, the six-time world finalist looked nervous and couldn’t capitalise, allowing O’Sullivan took the lead.
The Rocket punished a miss from White to double his lead, rapidly clearing the table. White responded in the third frame in great style, knocking in a break of 88 to make the score 2-1.
White was playing some fantastic stuff, and he should have taken the match to a deciding frame, but after he missed a red into the right-middle pocket while on a break of 56, O’Sullivan took control and in typical fashion he cleared the table to set up a clash with Stephen Hendry in the next round.
“It’s great to play against Jimmy because he’s good to watch,” said O’Sullivan to BBC Sport. “But it’s unfortunate for him that he’s good to watch – it means you concentrate throughout rather than switching off. He started nervously but that’s only to be expected when you haven’t reached the latter stages of a tournament for a while. When I missed I got away with it.
“Then he got his rhythm and didn’t look like he wouldn’t miss. When he plays like that he’s still a top eight player. It was nice to play in front of a packed audience but I lost my rhythm a bit and it was tough. At one stage I struggled to even pot a red and black.
“I don’t like seeing Jimmy lose even if it me that is beating him but you have to go out to try to win the match. You need to treat jimmy like any opponent but he was my role-model and I love him,” added O’Sullivan.
Snooker World Open draw produces some cracking showdowns
0502 days
by Ismail Vedat
in Uncategorized
The draw for the last 16 of the snooker World Open in Glasgow was made last night, and the stand-out tie will be Stephen Hendry taking on either Ronnie O’Sullivan or Jimmy White.
The seven-time world champion will find out who his opponent will be today as O’Sullivan and White do battle.
All eyes will be on O’Sullivan after his 147 maximum break madness on Monday, where he refused to pot the final black after being told there was no extra prize-money available. The talk off the table has been about O’Sullivan wanting to have a bit of fun rather than protest about the money. Once again, the Rocket has spoken about quitting the game after speaking with World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn.
O’Sullivan’s focus must be on the table today, as White will be up for the battle as he is enjoying playing in front of the television cameras once again thanks to strong performances. A world finalist six times, White has found his love for snooker again, partly due to competing in the TV hit series I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here last year.
Even though it is the first to three frames, a match which sees the Rocket against the Whirlwind will produce fireworks, and the reward for one of these players is a match against the most successful player of all time.
Stephen Maguire’s win over Judd Trump enabled him to set up an all-Scottish affair with Alan McManus in the last 16. Maguire edged out Trump 3-2 last night, while McManus also won 3-2 against Matthew Stevens.
Another Scottish player Marcus Campbell beat Mike Dunn 3-1 in the previous round, but he will have a tough match on his hands against the reigning UK champion Ding Junhui, who has looked impressive so far in this event, dispatching Jimmy Michie comfortably 3-1.
Barry Hawkins has been the surprise package of the World Open. He stunned the current Masters champion Mark Selby in the first round, and continued his good form by beating 1997 world champion Ken Doherty yesterday. He is full of confidence, but so is his next opponent, Mark Williams.
The Welshman has been in scintillating form in the last few weeks. He beat Selby in the Premier league, and defeated recently-crowned Shanghai Masters champion Ali Carter 3-1 here in the last round. Many didn’t expect Hawkins to get this far, but it could be the end for him as Williams is playing extremely well at the moment.
Peter Ebdon has been quietly going about his business, and he will take on Liu Song in the last 16. Ebdon lost his place in the top-16 rankings last season for the first time in 16 years, but wins over Steve Davis and Fergal O’Brien are exactly what he needed to try and get the place back.
Jamie Cope will play Ricky Walden, while Stephen Lee takes on Martin Gould, who was a 3-0 winner over Matthew Couch last night.
Reigning world champion Neil Robertson has yet to play at his best, but he is doing enough, and a match against either Marco Fu or Andrew Higginson awaits the Australian.
Stephen Hendry and Peter Ebdon continue to win
0503 days
by Ismail Vedat
in Uncategorized
Stephen Hendry delighted the Scottish crowd by winning 3-0 at the snooker World Open last night over Mark Davis.
Seven-time world champion Hendry has yet to drop a frame in the short format after beating Belgium’s Bjorn Haneveer in round one 3-0 as well.
Hendry took less than an hour to beat the world No.18 Davis, making a top break of 70 along the way.
“Mark didn’t play as well as he can, fortunately for me, and I was able to pick up the pieces,” said Hendry. “I’m hitting the ball well but what happens when you have no results behind you is that you lose composure. I took my eye off the object ball a couple of times when I should have won the frame in one visit.
“My confidence will come back if I have a decent run with some good performances, even just getting to a quarter or semi-final. I haven’t got the form behind me to be able to say I’m going to win a tournament, but if I can get to the later stages then I know how to win,” added Hendry.
Peter Ebdon was also victorious, beating Fergal O’Brien 3-2. Ebdon, the 2002 world champion, went 2-0 in front, but O’Brien pulled a frame back after potting the final pink and black. He then levelled the match after making a break of 129. In the decider, Ebdon had breaks of 37 and 31 to cross the finishing line.
“I’m delighted to win but I didn’t deserve it, I made too many mistakes,” said Ebdon. “These matches are very significant for me rankings-wise because I’m trying to get back into the top 16.”
Snooker World Open preview
0508 days
by Ismail Vedat
in Uncategorized
The second ranking event of the snooker season begins tomorrow with a new tournament, the 12bet.com World Open in Glasgow.
At this stage of the season, the Grand Prix would usually be taking place, but the tournament has been rebranded as the World Open and offers a quick-fire and exciting format for the players.
All matches will be best-of-five frames up until the final, where it becomes the best-of-nine frames. All matches will also be played on just one table, and the event offers the prospect of the big names playing one another thanks to the random draw. It is being dubbed as the “FA Cup” of snooker and is something different for the players to get used to.
Some qualifying matches took place last month, with the Scottish trio of Marcus Campbell, Alan McManus and James McBain just some of the players already booking their places in the last-32, as amateurs from around the world had the chance to play against the professional players.
Eleven last-64 matches will take place to decide who will join them, and the random draw has produced some interesting ties. The stand-out tie is the clash between Neil Robertson and Graeme Dott in a repeat of the world championship final from last season, which saw Robertson become the first official world champion from Australia.
The Thunder from Down Under is anticipating another tough match against the Scot. “We all have good times and bad times, but Graeme has bounced back and I am expecting a very hard match. Mind you, at least it won’t go on until 1am in the morning again.”
Ronnie O’Sullivan will begin his quest to become World Open champion against Mark King, and Jimmy White, a six-time world finalist, plays Paul Davison. Ding Junhui plays Adrian Gunnell, and reigning Masters champion Mark Selby takes on Barry Hawkins.
Selby believes the short format will be tricky for the established players. “There is added pressure when you are playing best of fives,” he said. “I think we might see some players who are not familiar faces doing well in the event, because the short matches will give the lower-ranked players a better chance. It will definitely be an exciting event to watch for the fans in the arena and viewers on TV.”
Steve Davis reached the quarter-finals of the world championship at the Crucible last season after a remarkable run that saw him defeat then-reigning world champion John Higgins. The six-time world champion plays Peter Ebdon in another fascinating tie. Stephen Hendry takes on Belgian Bjorn Haneveer, and the seven-time world champion is excited about the event. “It’s the one tournament we have in Scotland, and with the new format there’s no doubt it’s going to be exciting.”
Mark Williams, the China Open champion, plays Igor Figueiredo of Brazil. Ali Carter won the first ranking event of the season at the Shanghai Masters last week against Jamie Burnett, and he is on the lookout for his third ranking event title against Thepchaiya Un-Nooh. Current Premier League champion Shaun Murphy plays Dave Harold, and Stephen Maguire plays Stuart Pettman.
Maguire is delighted to be playing the event in his homeland, and is dreaming of winning it. “With it being in Glasgow, I would love to win it – only winning the World Championship would be better,” he said. “One of the greatest feelings in the world is picking up the trophy at the end of the week. I’ve not had it for over two years, so I’ve almost forgotten what feels like.”
Recently, snooker has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons, as one of Scotland’s finest Higgins was cleared of match-fixing after tabloid newspaper News of the World had footage of him and his manager Pat Mooney agreeing to throw frames for money.
Mooney was deemed to be solely responsible for the situation, while Higgins was found guilty of bringing the sport into disrepute and has been banned until November and fined £75,000. Higgins was also guilty of failing to report an approach from a would-be corruptor.
The Scottish star will be disappointed not to be playing on home soil, but at least he will be breathing a whole lot easier after enduring the worst four months of his career.
At last, all the talk about snooker can be about what happens on the table rather than off it.
Snooker’s record breakers keep on coming
0734 days
by Elisabeth
in Uncategorized
Snooker is a sport that is slow enough to encourage pondering. Every now and then we find ourselves wondering if what we’re seeing is something unique and spectacular or just a common occurrence.
Keeping track of all the records and statistics isn’t easy when it comes to a sport that has been played professionally for decades.
There have been quite a few stunning records throughout the years, yet still new players keep breaking them. One kind of record that seems to be beaten constantly are in the “youngest player ever to…” category. For example we had grown used to the fact that Ronnie O’Sullivan was the youngest player to score a maximum break but then Judd Trump beat that record in 2004 and in 2007 Ding Junhui became the youngest player to score a televised maximum break.
So, what is the most impressive snooker record ever, all categories? Well, Joe Davis’s 15 World Championship titles is a fair candidate, you can’t argue with that. But then again, Stephen Hendry’s seven titles in modern times might be even more amazing considering the big increase in competition since 1946 when Davis won his last World Championship. Hendry’s 36 ranking titles is also a jaw-dropping achievement. Despite Steve Davis’s legendary status he’s quite far behind with his 28.
Even though maximum breaks don’t automatically mean you will win the match (we have seen enough matches ending in favour of the player who didn’t make the maximum to establish that) they still cause the most awe among spectators. The two players who have provided us with the most maximum breaks are O’Sullivan and Hendry who have both scored nine each. However, they have yet to score a 155 break, the absolute highest break possible in snooker. The only player who has reportedly made one is Jamie Cope. Except for the obvious skills needed to make a maximum break, luck is also required to compile a “super maximum break” of155. A free ball has to be involved which is something you can’t exactly control by yourself.
The fastest maximum break was made by Ronnie O’Sullivan in 1997 and was over in five minutes and 20 seconds. Will it ever be beaten? However, quite surprisingly O’Sullivan doesn’t hold the record for the fastest frame, no, it was made by Tony Drago in 1996 who won a frame in three minutes and thirty-one seconds.
The most annoying attempt at a maximum was probably that of Ken Doherty in 2000 when he missed the final black off its spot at the Masters.
A record that might not be very flattering is the one for the longest frame. It was played in the 2008 China Open between Shaun Murphy and Dave Harold and lasted 93 minutes and 12 seconds. The longest match was one of the most classic and famous matches ever played, namely the 1985 World Championship final between Dennis Taylor and Steve Davis. It lasted 890 minutes and went to the final black ball. But the match will most likely be remembered as the most exciting rather than the longest.
No matter how many complicated records you break (such as “the second-youngest player to win five consecutive frames in a professional tournament”), entertainment value might still rate higher. After all, people will remember exciting matches first and foremost and tend to forget exact figures.
Carter marches on
0740 days
by Rob Swan
in Uncategorized
The reigning Welsh Open champion Ali Carter faced a stern test in the form of Neil Robertson at the Newport Centre yesterday, but once again proved his worth in this rankings tournament with a performance sure to make him a strong favourite for a place in Sunday’s final.
A comfortable 5-2 victory against the Australian was a clear indicator that Carter is on course to reach the tournament’s latter stages. However, he will now play another of the sport’s in-form players in the quarter-finals – the conqueror of Stephen Hendry – Ryan Day.
Carter’s match against Robertson was far from the classic many had anticipated before the first shot of the evening session, but the 30-year-old displayed the type of ruthlessness which champions are renowned for producing when it matters most.
A superb break of 115 at a pivotal time in the match put the 2009 Welsh Open winner firmly on course for a place in the last eight; and when Robertson missed a green in the seventh frame with the score at 46-35, Carter duly obliged in putting an end to the game by potting a final black.
Robertson, who won this rankings event in 2007, had been outclassed by a man on a mission to become the first player to win consecutive Welsh Open titles since Ronnie O’Sullivan in 2004 and ’05.
Meanwhile, the unfancied Day triumphed against Hendry in the last 16 to seal a quarter-final berth. Competing in his homeland, Day was largely written off because of his poor record against the Scottish legend – four defeats in as many matches for the Welshman – however, he sealed a brilliant 5-3 victory to send home a delighted crowd away from the Newport Centre.
The last of the first-round matches were also decided last night, with the second round set to be concluded by this evening.
Ding Junhui became yet another big-name Chinese casualty in the opening rounds of this competition – meaning that not one player from the country will feature in the tournament’s second round. The world No. 13 was beaten 5-3 by Jamie Cope despite some impressive breaks of his own – including a 127.
Cope will no doubt be buoyed by yesterday’s victory, but he will need to see off the challenge of the world’s best player this afternoon if he’s to reach the last eight. Not an easy task by any stretch of the imagination and one which is extremely difficult to envisage him passing.
There were also first round wins for Welshman Mark Williams and 32-year-old Scot Graeme Dott, who has set up an intriguing last 16 match against his compatriot John Higgins.
The reigning champion of the Championship League, Judd Trump, couldn’t quite put enough pressure on the winner of this month’s prestigious Masters tournament, Mark Selby. Trump, who advanced to the winner’s group of this year’s Championship League just last week, lost 5-2 to the Jester from Leicester. Perhaps this tournament came slightly too earlier for the 20-year-old but there’s no doubt he will be a major threat in this rankings event and others like it in the forthcoming years.
The remaining six matches of the quarter-finals will be contested today over two separate sessions. The first one will begin at 1pm and will feature a wealth of snooker talent including Stephen Maguire, Matthew Stephens and the Rocket himself.
Into the evening session, and Andrew Higginson and Mark Williams will go head-to-head, as will Mark Selby and Mark King before the much-anticipated battle of the Scots – Dott v Higgins.
So, the rankings event is hotting up nicely with four days left to play. Is anyone capable of stopping Carter in his tracks in this competition?
Rob Swan
Sweden needs to bring more snooker talents to the table
0746 days
by Elisabeth
in Uncategorized
Snooker is still a very small sport in Sweden. The number of snooker tables available to the public in the entire country, 55, probably says it all.
Until about five years ago, many Swedes didn’t even know what snooker was. It wasn’t until 2002 that something finally started happening. Eurosport has been part of the base selection of many television cable companies in Sweden ever since cable tv was introduced to the country. So when they started showing snooker in the beginning of the 2000s, it was only natural that people came across matches when randomly zapping between channels.
But the thing that originally caught their attention might not have been the game itself as much as the commentator. This man truly stood out with his drawling voice, slightly sarcastic comments and hilarious understatements. People would stay on Eurosport for a while just to listen to him talk. Paying attention to the match at the same time they soon realised what a fascinating and intriguing game snooker really is.
The commentator’s name is Kim Hartman and he might very well be one of the biggest reasons why the sport is finally getting attention in Sweden. He has a background as a referee in the World Amateur Snooker Championship as well as in one of the biggest snooker clubs in Stockholm where he has been a driving force for many years. He was also responsible for importing the first snooker table to Sweden and held receptions in Stockholm for guests like Stephen Hendry in the 80′s. In 2004 he won Eurosport’s commentator of the year award.
Despite the low number of tables, a few Swedish tournaments are being held throughout the year. The most important tournament is the Swedish Championship that usually takes place after the professional World Championship. Other tournaments are the Swedish Championship for ladies, the Swedish Championship for youths, the Swedish Championship for seniors and a few smaller ranking tournaments.
Sweden has a few good players, none of which are professional, and quite a few very talented youths. Some of the most well-known players today are Kevin Zarakani, Farhan Mirza, Nils Böhling and Ann-Sofie Löfgren. It’s quite remarkable that the highest ranked female player is 32nd in the rankings. In 2009 Swedish player Suleman K Salam won the Junior International Snooker Open in Ireland.
Apparently, Sweden is loaded with snooker talent, so what could be done to increase the popularity of the sport and get more people to play? First of all, Eurosport is no longer in the tv cable basic selection due to price negotiation problems. The Eurosport web tv service costs money and is still experiencing some problems with freezing and delays.
This might slowly cause the interest in snooker to decrease among Swedes. Another problem might be the amount of tables in Sweden. If snooker tables in addition to pool tables became a natural part of the Swedish pub life, more people would be exposed to the sport. Of course, international success such as that of Salam in 2009 helps tremendously.
But anyone interested in snooker is responsible for helping the sport gain popularity. We can’t just sit around and wait for a single enthusiast like Kim Hartman to do all the work.
For Maguire winning is a frame of mind
0747 days
by Elisabeth
in Uncategorized
When Stephen Maguire won the 2004 UK Championship commentators and snooker experts proclaimed him the new Stephen Hendry.
Not because they’re both Scottish and have the same first name, but because their techniques have certain similarities. They’re both minimalistic, offensive, accurate and extraordinarily gifted. They’re both excellent break builders and natural talents that often leave the audience in awe after clearing the table.
There is however one big difference. Hendry is a remarkably composed player who never allows himself to get too nervous or dwell on previous misses. He is famous for his poker face and will always display perfect sportsmanship. It’s not that he lacks emotions, not at all. There have been interviews when Hendry has been visibly affected by a negative match result. But at the table he usually gives the impression of being as calm as a cucumber at all times.
Maguire on the other hand has had some problems with nervousness and seems to suffer from mood swings during matches. He has the disadvantage of letting misses and frame defeats get to him. This might be due to his young age, but is probably just a part of his character as a human being. That said, there aren’t many snooker players on the tour today that share Hendry’s calm state of mind.
Could Maguire become snooker’s next big star and world number one? Does he have what it takes to win the World Championship?
He certainly possesses the aptitude but will his nerves hold out and allow him to win more big tournaments? In 2004 Maguire was seemingly unbeatable when he took the UK Championship title and Ronnie O’Sullivan predicted that he would be the next world champion.
He won the China Open in 2008 and is ranked number two in the world for the 2009/10 season. There is definitely a lot of potential. So, what are you waiting for, Maguire? It’s time to show them all!
Selby stuns O’Sullivan in epic Masters final
0750 days
by Rob Swan
in Uncategorized
Mark Selby produced one of the finest comebacks the illustrious Masters final has ever seen with a shock 10-9 victory against world No. 1 Ronnie O’Sullivan.
The Rocket had taken a 9-6 lead, late into the evening session; but was incredibly pegged back by his opponent, who capitalised on the usually nerveless O’Sullivan’s errors to lift the coveted non-rankings trophy.
The 26-year-old won the last four frames in spectacular fashion as the crowd packed inside Wembley Arena were treated to a classic final.
It meant Selby had gained revenge for last year’s final defeat against the same opponent, while adding to his 2008 Masters title in the process.
Few would have bet against the 34-year-old O’Sullivan from claiming his fifth title going into the 16th frame. Looking comfortable and displaying his customary brand of mesmeric shots, the Rocket looked for the all the world to be cruising to yet another title.
However, the Jester from Leicester never gave up the fight, and with the score at 9-8 there was one particular shot which perhaps cost O’Sullivan the match. When it would have been far less dangerous to play a safety shot off a loose green towards the end of the 18th frame, he decided to take it on with his left-hand, looking to put enough cut on to sink what would have been the pot of the tournament.
But it proved too tricky, and the ball ricocheted off the pocket to allow Selby to clear up and take the match to a decider.
Despite the clock rapidly approaching midnight, the crowd inside the arena were more vocal than ever before, but were now supporting the underdog, who by this point had captured the audiences’ imagination with his thrilling comeback.
Selby described it as “like playing in the lion’s den” with “90 per cent of the fans supporting Ronnie” at the start of the match, but it was his own lion-heart performance which prompted shouts of “come on Mark!” from the stalls as Monday morning approached.
His entrance song, Underdog by Kasabian, had proven a very apt choice, and in the deciding frame the underdog had triumphed, spectacularly potting a difficult long red before adding runs of 27 and 37.
O’Sullivan must have known he was a beaten man at this point – he certainly had the look of one. His shots became increasingly – and very unusually – lax, and when he missed a red to the centre, the 34-year-old shook the hand of Selby to concede the match.
Delight for the world No. 7 ensued, as did a huge cheque for £150,000.
“At 9-6 down I thought my chance was gone and I expected Ronnie to win,” a delighted Selby admitted.
“I looked dead and buried, but I knew it wasn’t over until the last ball was potted. Then when it got to 9-9 I felt I was more confident than him. I just wanted one chance – in the end I got more than that and I did enough. I’m pinching myself because it’s hard to believe. “
Meanwhile, O’Sullivan was gracious in defeat and felt he was beaten by the better player on the night, but admitted that he still faces an ongoing struggle to overcome psychological barriers.
“I have to look at the big picture and I surprised myself by getting to the final this week,” O’Sullivan said.
“I didn’t play well enough to win so I can’t be disappointed. I will keep pitching up to tournaments and trying to compete.
“I’m always out to win, but the battle is with myself. I’m trying not to have too many highs and lows. For 17 years I’ve been playing like a plum, and being hot and cold made me depressed. I can’t do that to myself any more. I felt it today and I said to myself ‘don’t go there’. The frustration is that if I got it right I would smash all these players up, I’d demolish them.”
The runner-up prize of £75,000 provided little solace for the beaten finalist, who had wasted a golden opportunity to catch up with Stephen Hendry’s record of six Masters titles.
But at 26, Selby continues to improve and clearly has a fondness for this prestigious tournament. The newly crowned Masters champion will be back next year to defend his title – as he unsuccessfully attempted last year – with a few more fans following last night’s absorbing comeback.
Rob Swan
Below-par Higgins crashes out of Masters
0754 days
by Rob Swan
in Uncategorized
Along with the likes of Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Williams, world champion John Higgins was among the favourites to win the 2010 Masters. However, last night he became the first big-name casualty of this year’s tournament after losing to Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen 6-3.
The three-time world champion was sloppy throughout, while his opponent performed admirably following the death of a close friend last week.
Allen admitted that emotions nearly got the better of him towards the end of the match, but the 23-year-old kept it together, held his nerve, and won the final two sets to book his place in the quarter-finals.
“It was a bit emotional towards the end, when it got to the last few balls I was trying not to cry. He was a member of the pool team I play for and a good friend,” Allen said afterwards.
The provisional world No. 1, Higgins, enjoyed a decent enough start to the match, taking the lead after a tightly-contested opening frame. Allen’s miss on the final green allowed his opponent to seal a 77-53 first frame win – but the World No. 11 had already shown enough fight to suggest he wouldn’t be a pushover.
And he proved this to be the case in the next three frames, winning them all to take a surprise 3-1 lead. To outline how well Allen was playing at this point, in frames two and three, Higgins failed to pot a single red as his Northern Irish opponent scored 77 and 73, respectively.
After being outplayed in the previous two frames, the fourth was more controversial as Higgins was deemed to have fouled while potting a routine black. The Scot appeared bemused with the referee’s decision, while replays failed to determine whether or not the call was correct.
“It puzzled me a great deal, every player knows if they touch a ball and I’m sure I didn’t,” the Scot said.
“I’ve looked at the television replays and couldn’t see the evidence. It doesn’t take much to make you feel sorry for yourself when you’re not playing well.”
But in frame five, Higgins reduced the deficit to 3-2 with a tactical 70-46. It appeared that an O’Sullivan-esq comeback was on the cards. However, Allen recovered well in the sixth, racking up a huge 124-6 win after two visits to the table of 51 and 73.
Higgins bounced back in the seventh, pulling the match back to 4-3, but Allen dominated the final two frames. First with a break of 69 in the penultimate frame before a break of 57 secured a 108-0 win in the final frame – along with his place in the quarter-finals.
After the match, both players revealed how they felt they hadn’t performed well on the night. Although it was the expected response from Higgins, his opponent would have been forgiven for revelling in his victory slightly more.
“It wasn’t very good. I made breaks when I needed to, but my concentration very poor,” Allen commented.
“I’ve won three games this season which is terrible really. The only time I played well was in the UK and I got beat!”
Despite his self-critical analysis, Allen was still pleased to have sealed the win, but recognised that Higgins’ poor performance was a factor in the 6-3 scoreline.
“It was definitely a good win and will help my confidence. John didn’t play well but you need the likes of Ronnie or John to be off-colour,” he said.
Meanwhile, a despondent Higgins conceded that Allen was a worthy winner, but was frustrated that the Masters remains his bogey tournament after this latest first round exit.
“I never seem to play well here. I can only liken it to a golfer who doesn’t play well on certain courses. I’ve lost so many first round matches but it’s the manner in which I’ve lost them,” Higgins added.
“Take nothing away from Mark, if you look at the points total he had about a 1000 and I had a 100. I was lucky to get three frames today.”
Allen will now play Mark Selby in tomorrow’s second quarter-final and will be gunning for revenge. The pair met at the same stage last year, but the Jester from Leicester advanced to the semis after a narrow 6-5 victory.
Rob Swan