John Higgins did what he does best to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat and beat Mark Allen 13-12 in a Crucible classic. You can read more about that on the Eurosport website but this morning, we’ll be focusing on two intriguing last-eight contests.
His win over Day ensures him of at least £50,000 for reaching the quarter-finals enabling him to move 10,500 points above old rival Mark Selby, who lost 10-6 to Joe O’Connor in the first round at the Crucible.
A win over 2015 world champion Stuart Bingham in the last eight on Wednesday will be enough to see O’Sullivan leapfrog Luca Brecel into third spot in the rankings by securing a further £50,000.
Only an Allen run to the final would have denied O’Sullivan the chance to retain the sport’s most coveted ranking, while world No. 2 Judd Trump would have needed to claim the title for a second time if Allen reached the final, with £300,000 the difference between winning and losing the sport’s biggest match.
But Allen faces a sweat to see if he can become world No. 1 for the first time in his 19-year career after exiting the World Championship at the last-16 stage with Trump needing to reach the final to topple him from top spot.
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Rare emotion from Higgins as he gets over the line in classic with Allen
O’Sullivan and Trump are seeded to meet in the semi-finals this year with Trump up against Welsh qualifier Jak Jones in his quarter-final on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Higgins has extended his remarkable stay inside the top 16 following his brilliant 71 final-frame clearance against Allen denying the Northern Irishman on the final black after he missed a red with the rest on 62.
“It’s the best. It will live with me forever,” he told reporters. “After everything that has gone before over the last two years, to stand up under the most intense pressure is a very proud moment for me. When I came to the table, I knew that the double was my only chance, and when that went in, I knew it was on.
“I felt calm and I just tried to stay positive, and keep pushing the cue through straight. This should do wonders for me because I know I can do it, and this is the hardest place to play.”
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O’Sullivan wraps up win over Day to reach quarter-finals
The Scotsman – world champion in 1998, 2007, 2009 and 2011 – has been an ever-present among the game’s elite since 1995, but the former world No. 1’s remarkable 29-year run was under threat this season.
He began the tournament in 17th place (£253,500) on the provisional ranking list, but has moved up to 15th spot ahead of his meeting with 2020 finalist Kyren Wilson in the last eight.
Quarter-finals
(players in bold still in tournament)
Mark Allen encouraged John Higgins to “believe in himself” after the Scot’s thrilling victory set up a World Championship quarter-final clash with Kyren Wilson at the Crucible.
The Wizard of Wishaw snatched a remarkable 13-12 win on the final black over Northern Ireland’s Allen in Monday’s evening session.
Higgins produced an incredible final few minutes, coming from 62 behind to snatch a memorable triumph, but Allen was classy in defeat.
“I just need to tighten up on a few things, but I don’t come here to compete with the all-time greats,” Allen said after the loss.
“I come here to win the tournament, so anything less than that’s a disappointment. So I didn’t take my chances and got what I deserved in the end.
“So good luck to John for the rest of it. I hope he does well. I said to him at the end, I hope he believes in himself.”
Rare emotion from Higgins as he gets over the line in classic with Allen
World No. 13 Higgins has been brutally honest about his doubts about winning a fifth World Championship, having lost a number of important and tight games in recent years.
But Allen told his conqueror to be optmistic about his chances.
“There’s a very, very small amount of people in this game ever, that can take a clearance like that in the deciding frame at the Crucible,” Allen added.
“So why should be getting down on himself? You know, he’s still one of the very, very best in the world and I love to see him do well.
“Not against me obviously, but I love to see John do well because he’s one of the good guys and he wears his heart on his sleeve.
“He’s got great determination and I love to see him do well.”
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‘Beyond belief’ – McManus and White react to ‘mindboggling’ Higgins win over Allen
Allen never trailed Higgins and led 12-11 with just one frame required. But at 12-12, the 48-year-old produced an incredible double in the final frame to take the match, as the Wizard of Wishaw held his arms aloft to the Sheffield crowd.
“As soon as the double went in at the start of the break, I sort of knew he was gonna clear up. It’s what John does,” Allen said.
“But just disappointed. I had more than enough chances in the early part of the match to be well clear and have only myself to blame, missed too many balls.”
John Higgins said he was “proud” of a match-winning “special clearance” against Mark Allen at the World Championship on Monday evening.
With the game tied at 12-12, Allen was 62-0 clear when he missed a red that most would have expected him to sink, leaving a tough ask for Higgins to take on.
However, a remarkable double on a red and some expert positional play – coupled with some calm nerves – saw Higgins add 64 points and move into the quarter-finals, where he will face Kyren Wilson.
Higgins spoke to Eurosport in the studio after his win, and discussed his decision to take on the double.
He said: “I don’t know. I didn’t think the red went, but I’m thinking ‘let’s go for it’. There’s a sniff of a chance you might get it and get the clearance.
“When it went in, I felt calm.”
Rare emotion from Higgins as he gets over the line in classic with Allen
In the aftermath of the win, Allen paid tribute to the former world No. 1, who remains one of the finest players on the tour.
Higgins replied: “I get a bit emotional. Mark is a total gentleman, said some nice words. I went into the dressing room and had a little bubble myself, because I knew it was a special clearance.
“I’m delighted the way I held on to Mark when it was 7-5, the standard wasn’t great, taking a little bit of time.
“Sometimes I’m sitting admiring him, thinking ‘why doesn’t he play like that all the time?’ He’s an unbelievable player when he gets on a bit of a roll. I think he will win this tournament in the future, but he’s got to play at that pace, because he’s not as good when he starts double-guessing himself.
“Tonight, the one thing I’ll mention about Mark is his bottle. He’s got incredible bottle, and I never in a million years thought he was going to miss that red. That’s just the one thing I’ve always said about him.”
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‘King of Clearances’ Higgins sinks remarkable double on way to victory
Throughout the interview, Higgins was reluctant to acknowledge the steel he had displayed, and the talent alongside it.
But ultimately he acknowledged: “I’m over the moon. I think it will hit me later that it was a special clearance. I’m proud of myself.”
John Higgins beat Mark Allen 13-12 on the final black in an epic last-16 encounter at the World Championship on Monday evening.
Higgins let an earlier lead slip in the previous session at the Crucible and came out 9-7 behind his opponent ahead of the evening’s play.
Allen is still one of the best players around after his relatively recent ascent to become one of the sport’s big hitters, and has the Shootout, Players Championship and Champion of Champions crowns to his name already this season.
Higgins is yet to land a title this campaign but has markedly improved this year with five semi-final finishes across different tournaments, though he was yet to consistently show anything like his best in Sheffield.
An early miss from Allen allowed Higgins in during the first frame after the restart, and the Scot had a chance to get back within a frame to change the dynamic of the match-up, but a kick stopped him in his tracks with what appeared to be a routine red.
A miss from Allen saw Higgins land an outstanding double to the bottom right to set up a tough black, only for him to rattle it in the corner.
Rare emotion from Higgins as he gets over the line in classic with Allen
A decent break from Allen gave him a 45-point advantage with 43 left on the table, but he won out the safety play and gave himself a three-frame cushion, needing three more to progress to the last four.
Higgins responded well in the next frame with a half century – just his third of the match at that point – before opening up the reds, only to be crowded out by a trio of reds and in a difficult position at 55-1 up, having to lay the ball off towards the bottom of the table, albeit rendering the black safe.
Allen missed a close-range red to the middle right after battling from 55-40 behind, and Higgins returned to sink an easier version of the same shot as he pulled back one frame.
Higgins looked poised to build a hefty opening break in the next but stopped at 26-0 up when he left a black hanging over the bottom right as it rattled the jaws, though he pulled off a comeback later to clinch the frame to move just one frame behind at 10-9.
Allen took on a monstrously difficult long red to the bottom left and only missed fractionally early in the 20th frame, but such was the power of the shot he generated that he took the red close to the opposite corner and sunk the white.
A kiss on the pink from Higgins when he was 68-0 up left him scratching his head as a century chance looked to have gone begging, with no obvious shot to take on, and he had to leave Allen with a number of options with 75 remaining on the table. However, HIggins picked up several fouls from Allen and he returned to the table to level things with three frames more needed from either man for victory.
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Fluke or deliberate? Astonishing Allen pot lights up Crucible as Higgins clash goes distance
After the mid-session interval, an accomplished break from Allen was enough to put him back in front with 66 – the highest break from him in this session.
In the next frame, Higgins elected to take a blue on when 33 up instead of pursuing a maximum, but he missed to the middle left and gave Allen a tough red to send to the opposite pocket. Allen quickly ceded control of the frame once more and Higgins returned to take it beyond his opponent and added another half century to level things at 11-11.
Higgins finally had a chance to go in front, but after looking to open the pack he was 33-0 clear with no obvious shot, he risked a double and missed to the left middle and Allen was presented with a chance – albeit one made harder by the growing pressure on both players.
Allen went ahead through some tidy safety play, with Higgins warned about the three-miss rule, and he caught the red thick before bouncing off the jaws of the left middle, and Allen was given the chance to build a decisive break to regain the lead. Soon, Allen was just one frame from an epic victory.
An exquisite pot from Higgins early in the next frame helped him into an early lead but he soon missed a red. A stalemate looked difficult to break with Higgins 23-0 up, and a re-rack loomed until Allen refused, and Higgins did well to escape a tough situation, despite leaving a red on – because there was no clear colour to build on.
After some back and forth, Higgins who swooped in to steal the frame to make it 12-12 in what was perhaps the match of the tournament so far – though Stuart Bingham v Jack Lisowski had a claim of its own on the other table.
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‘Look at this, he’s found a plant…’ – Higgins hits one of the shots of the tournament
Allen was away quickly in the 25th frame as the reds and black lined up well. At 62-0 clear he was on the cusp of victory but missed a red in the bottom left, and an expert double from Higgins set him up on the black, with the reds well spaced if Higgins could stay calm, and he cleared up the remaining balls with a break of 64 to go through to a quarter-final with Kyren Wilson.
In the day’s other last 16 clash, Bingham secured a hard-fought 13-11 victory over Lisowski to set up a match with tournament favourite Ronnie O’Sullivan.
John Higgins beat Mark Allen 13-12 on the final black in an epic last-16 encounter at the World Championship on Monday evening.
Higgins let an earlier lead slip in the previous session at the Crucible and came out 9-7 behind his opponent ahead of the evening’s play.
Allen is still one of the best players around after his relatively recent ascent to become one of the sport’s big hitters, and has the Shootout, Players Championship and Champion of Champions crowns to his name already this season.
Higgins is yet to land a title this campaign but has markedly improved this year with five semi-final finishes across different tournaments, though he was yet to consistently show anything like his best in Sheffield.
An early miss from Allen allowed Higgins in during the first frame after the restart, and the Scot had a chance to get back within a frame to change the dynamic of the match-up, but a kick stopped him in his tracks with what appeared to be a routine red.
A miss from Allen saw Higgins land an outstanding double to the bottom right to set up a tough black, only for him to rattle it in the corner.
Rare emotion from Higgins as he gets over the line in classic with Allen
A decent break from Allen gave him a 45-point advantage with 43 left on the table, but he won out the safety play and gave himself a three-frame cushion, needing three more to progress to the last four.
Higgins responded well in the next frame with a half century – just his third of the match at that point – before opening up the reds, only to be crowded out by a trio of reds and in a difficult position at 55-1 up, having to lay the ball off towards the bottom of the table, albeit rendering the black safe.
Allen missed a close-range red to the middle right after battling from 55-40 behind, and Higgins returned to sink an easier version of the same shot as he pulled back one frame.
Higgins looked poised to build a hefty opening break in the next but stopped at 26-0 up when he left a black hanging over the bottom right as it rattled the jaws, though he pulled off a comeback later to clinch the frame to move just one frame behind at 10-9.
Allen took on a monstrously difficult long red to the bottom left and only missed fractionally early in the 20th frame, but such was the power of the shot he generated that he took the red close to the opposite corner and sunk the white.
A kiss on the pink from Higgins when he was 68-0 up left him scratching his head as a century chance looked to have gone begging, with no obvious shot to take on, and he had to leave Allen with a number of options with 75 remaining on the table. However, HIggins picked up several fouls from Allen and he returned to the table to level things with three frames more needed from either man for victory.
Fluke or deliberate? Astonishing Allen pot lights up Crucible as Higgins clash goes distance
After the mid-session interval, an accomplished break from Allen was enough to put him back in front with 66 – the highest break from him in this session.
In the next frame, Higgins elected to take a blue on when 33 up instead of pursuing a maximum, but he missed to the middle left and gave Allen a tough red to send to the opposite pocket. Allen quickly ceded control of the frame once more and Higgins returned to take it beyond his opponent and added another half century to level things at 11-11.
Higgins finally had a chance to go in front, but after looking to open the pack he was 33-0 clear with no obvious shot, he risked a double and missed to the left middle and Allen was presented with a chance – albeit one made harder by the growing pressure on both players.
Allen went ahead through some tidy safety play, with Higgins warned about the three-miss rule, and he caught the red thick before bouncing off the jaws of the left middle, and Allen was given the chance to build a decisive break to regain the lead. Soon, Allen was just one frame from an epic victory.
An exquisite pot from Higgins early in the next frame helped him into an early lead but he soon missed a red. A stalemate looked difficult to break with Higgins 23-0 up, and a re-rack loomed until Allen refused, and Higgins did well to escape a tough situation, despite leaving a red on – because there was no clear colour to build on.
After some back and forth, Higgins who swooped in to steal the frame to make it 12-12 in what was perhaps the match of the tournament so far – though Stuart Bingham v Jack Lisowski had a claim of its own on the other table.
‘Look at this, he’s found a plant…’ – Higgins hits one of the shots of the tournament
Allen was away quickly in the 25th frame as the reds and black lined up well. At 62-0 clear he was on the cusp of victory but missed a red in the bottom left, and an expert double from Higgins set him up on the black, with the reds well spaced if Higgins could stay calm, and he cleared up the remaining balls with a break of 64 to go through to a quarter-final with Kyren Wilson.
In the day’s other last 16 clash, Bingham secured a hard-fought 13-11 victory over Lisowski to set up a match with tournament favourite Ronnie O’Sullivan.
John Higgins won a stunning World Championship last-16 encounter with Mark Allen on the final black, coming from behind to win 13-12 in a never-say-die performance. Alan McManus and Jimmy White discussed the “mindboggling” victory from the Wizard of Wishaw in the Eurosport studio, describing it as “beyond belief.”
Iga Swiatek says she “always wanted to inspire” but is still getting to grips with the expectations and “baggage” that comes with being the best in the world.
She won her first Grand Slam title at the 2020 French Open as a 19-year-old and over the last two years has become the biggest star on the WTA Tour.
While that brings plenty of satisfaction and motivation, Swiatek has revealed that it also comes with challenges.
“So for sure I think my consistency put me in that position. I would say it’s a nice role to have, because I always wanted to kind of inspire. Also, it’s easier to find motivation when you feel like kids are watching you.
“But on the other hand, for sure, it’s also some baggage on your shoulders. It’s not easy to balance it and to kind of save yourself of that, because everybody treats you like I should play for them, not for me.
“So, I’m kind of learning sometimes how to deal with that and how to not let that affect my mentality or my attitude.”
Swiatek has dropped just eight games across three matches as she has powered into the quarter-finals in Madrid.
She reeled off 12 games in a row against Sorribes Tormo and dropped only five points in the second set.
“I think all the mental stuff, I’m always kind of trying to stay present and do the same work no matter what stage of the match I’m in,” she added.
Swiatek leads their head-to-head record 2-1, including in the semi-finals of last year’s French Open.
“The biggest thing I remember is it was really tight in the first set,” reflected Swiatek about that match.
“The tiebreaker was stressful. I remember the crowd also being crazy, because the Brazilian crowd is taking all these instruments with them and making a small music festival on the audience. So it was for sure different experience, a good one but tough to handle.
“I wouldn’t expect an easy match against Bia, for sure. She’s a great player.”
Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund are the only Manchester United players “off limits” this summer, with the club prepared to listen to offers for the majority of their squad this summer, the Telegraph reports.
The United rebuild under Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his Ineos team will likely see Raphael Varane and Anthony Martial leave as free agents at the end of the season, while the future of Marcus Rashford is also in doubt.
“Although the likes of Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund – around whom United hope to build a highly successful team in the years to come – will be strictly off limits to would-be suitors, the club are believed to be reluctant to narrow their options elsewhere within the squad.
“It means United could be willing to have conversations with interested parties, for example, over Rashford should any offers arrive that warrant serious discussion.”
Following reports of the potential exodus at Manchester United, the i reports that Paris Saint-Germain will pursue other targets ahead of Rashford.
With Kylian Mbappe set to join Real Madrid in the summer, PSG will be looking to replace the France captain, although Rashford is not on their shortlist.
“United insiders have insisted Rashford is part of next season’s plans regardless, as they look to help him rekindle the kind of form that saw him plunder 30 goals in all competitions last term.
“However, given the need to raise funds for Ineos’ on-field transformation, it is believed a substantial offer for Rashford would be considered as part of a wider squad fire sale, something that has been planned from the moment Sir Jim Ratcliffe got his feet under the table at Old Trafford. Money raised from any Rashford exit would be classed as 100 per cent profit in the eyes of financial fair play regulators, making any departure even more appealing.”
Ajax will look to reappoint Erik ten Hag this summer, according to the Daily Mail. Ten Hag’s future at Manchester United is unclear beyond the end of the season, but should he be sacked then a return to the Netherlands could be forthcoming.
Ten Hag would not leave United for the Ajax role, and so the Dutch club will wait to find out his fate before considering other options.
“Having transformed Ajax into one of the most exciting teams in European football ahead of his departure in 2022, the iconic Dutch club have struggled during the post-Ten Hag era.
“They are currently fifth in the Eredivisie, 35 points adrift of leaders PSV. They finished third last season, missing out on Champions League qualification, 13 points behind champions Feyenoord.
“And the fact Ajax are in the midst of a transitional period is unlikely to appeal to Ten Hag.”
Liverpool will hold talks with Mohamad Salah at the end of the season amid multiple reports claiming the club expect the player to stay beyond the summer. Salah was the subject of interest from Saudi Arabia last year, and it was thought the Egyptian may leave this summer while Liverpool can still get a fee for the winger.
All will be resolved in the summer, when incoming sporting director Richard Hughes and Fenway Sports Group president Michael Edwards speak to several key players.
“The club’s immediate priority was replacing Jurgen Klopp. Now that has effectively been done with an agreement in place for Feyenoord’s Arne Slot, attention will shift to the senior players.
“Liverpool and Salah will have plenty to ponder. For the club, there must be a consideration as to whether a player who turns 32 in June should be offered an extended deal on the same lucrative terms.”
Andy Murray has raised hopes that he could return to court in time for the French Open.
The former world No. 1 has been out of action since suffering an ankle injury in defeat to Tomas Machac in the last 32 of the Miami Open in late March.
His coach Jonny O’Mara posted a video on social media of Murray on court and practising on clay.
That Murray is training on clay could be an indicator that he is going to try and be fit for the French Open, which starts on May 26.
Murray has only played the French Open once since 2020 and has largely cut down on his clay schedule in recent years to focus on preparing for the grass swing.
“I’ve had experiences through my career where I didn’t play the French Open in 2013 and I won Wimbledon. I also played the French Open and did really well in 2016 [when he also won the title at SW19].
“I don’t think it makes a huge difference if you get an extra week’s practice or so on the grass. So yeah, I would like to play one more time.”
The Olympic tennis event this summer is also held at Roland-Garros, the venue of the French Open.
Whether Murray would play any events ahead of the French Open remains to be seen.
The ATP 1000 Italian Open starts on May 8 and there are two ATP 250 tournaments in the week before the French Open.
If Murray does play the French Open he will be unseeded, as he has dropped down to No. 57 in the world rankings.
