:00:00. > :00:42.Hello and good evening. And welcome to snooker extra. Extended
:00:43. > :00:51.highlights of the first round match 29 Liang Wenbo and John Higgins.
:00:52. > :00:56.Higgins, a winner at the Masters in 2006, but Wenbo makes his debut.
:00:57. > :00:59.Your commentary team, John Parrott and Stephen
:01:00. > :01:13.The last 16 match of this year's Masters. If Liang Wenbo is going to
:01:14. > :01:18.progress today, he has to do something he hasn't managed before,
:01:19. > :01:26.and that's beat Higgins in a competitive match. 7 matches played,
:01:27. > :01:34.and the Scott leads 7. 0. What can he do, Stephen? Show the form he
:01:35. > :01:35.showed at the UK championships. Couldn't pick a much tougher
:01:36. > :01:48.first-round opponent though. I think he looks more comfortable as
:01:49. > :01:55.the underdog, John, Liang Wenbo. May be the case. A few players on the
:01:56. > :02:00.circuit who are like that, don't like the heat on them, as it were.
:02:01. > :02:05.His form came from nowhere, really, been something of a journeyman on
:02:06. > :02:10.the circuit for the last couple of years, but the performance at the UK
:02:11. > :02:14.was pretty special. And the ranking points that he earned got him here,
:02:15. > :02:24.at the Masters. A very capable scorer. Yeah, talking what he needs
:02:25. > :02:29.to do to win today, Liang, he want tos start with 3 centuries in the
:02:30. > :02:34.first 3 frames. That the sort of thing he needs to do to beat John
:02:35. > :02:46.Higgins. Score very heavily when he does get the opportunity.
:02:47. > :02:55.They won't go out the near jaw on the tables. A chance for Liang in
:02:56. > :03:02.the centre pocket. Good if he can knock this one in.
:03:03. > :03:10.APPLAUSE Nice pot. A little bit slack from
:03:11. > :03:18.John Higgins to leave the cue ball in the middle of the table, as it
:03:19. > :03:20.were. So not something you associate with John Higgins, shorts like that
:03:21. > :03:34.-- shots like that. Can he put a marker down on this
:03:35. > :03:42.first frame in? That is the cue ball to top. Body language says he is on
:03:43. > :03:47.the reds to the left corner. Yes, I bet you his heart skipped a beat
:03:48. > :04:24.there. The cue ball, 1 more quarter ten and he was on nothing.
:04:25. > :04:32.Tricky little shot. He, if he is playing to hold with the black. He
:04:33. > :04:32.could strike it positive playing to hold with the black. He
:04:33. > :04:39.fet the action on the cue ball. Sometimes you decelerate and miss it
:04:40. > :04:46.to the right-hand side, as we look at it. He misses to the left-hand
:04:47. > :04:54.side side. A tricky shot, that, wasn't a gimme. One that needed a
:04:55. > :04:57.wristback. It looked easy on your screen, few hit the jaws on the
:04:58. > :05:02.championship tables, that's noticeable to me. They looked a bit
:05:03. > :05:07.softer before, they were dropping in a little bit with the knew cloe.
:05:08. > :05:11.That's what happens, it's nice and shiny. And the clothes go on. It
:05:12. > :05:16.just catches the jaw, a little bit too far out. But they slide in,
:05:17. > :05:24.don't they, the first couple of days. Into the pack here from this
:05:25. > :05:32.black for John Higgins. He hit that Perth. That was a lovely shot.
:05:33. > :05:34.Played with stun. Nice and firm, kept hold of the cue ball, didn't
:05:35. > :06:04.run away. Beautiful shot. , it's been a remarkable turn around
:06:05. > :06:05.for John Higgins, to be honest with you, I saw him play one of the
:06:06. > :06:11.matches at the UK you, I saw him play one of the
:06:12. > :06:16.he was bereft of any confidence. Looked like half the player he was.
:06:17. > :06:20.To turn it around and win 3 turms this year, it's remarkable at his
:06:21. > :06:26.age. Are you surprised at the way he's come back, Stephen? Very much
:06:27. > :06:33.so. I thought a couple of years ago, that John Higgins was comes to
:06:34. > :06:38.perhaps a crossroads in his career. All the new toorms tournaments where
:06:39. > :06:42.they -- tournaments where they spend very little time at home. He looked
:06:43. > :06:49.like he wasn't enjoying it much. This season - very impressive. Yeah,
:06:50. > :06:55.I think one of the turmss and the matches he played in, he played Mark
:06:56. > :06:59.Selby in the semifinal, and he beat him 9 frames to four. Anyone
:07:00. > :07:06.Selby in the semifinal, and he beat beats Mark Selby by that scoreline
:07:07. > :07:11.is playing good snooker. And he was the only one to give Neil Robertson
:07:12. > :07:22.a close run at the UK championship. Certainly nothing wrong with the way
:07:23. > :07:26.he's playing. Good to see him back. Tson a close
:07:27. > :07:34.A well controlled shot. They didn't have a natural angle. Had to stun
:07:35. > :07:49.it. And a touch right-hand side, and perfectly played.
:07:50. > :08:04.It wasn't so long back. He went over the 600 century barrier. Not only is
:08:05. > :08:08.he one of the game this was greatest match players, he is one of the best
:08:09. > :08:17.break builders. Such a good scorer with a brilliant all-round game.
:08:18. > :08:24.Yeah, he never ever plays the wrong shot, hardly ever. Even though the
:08:25. > :08:28.start of this break, a lot of players, first frame, may not have
:08:29. > :08:31.gone into bunches. But straight into them. It's produced this
:08:32. > :08:36.opportunity. A sign of a top, top player.
:08:37. > :08:42.Yeah, that's the way it should be done, isn't it? Make it easier for
:08:43. > :08:47.yourself. Those balls in the open, quite a few players have been cherry
:08:48. > :08:51.picking, taking off the odd red, but John Higgins knew that was a great
:08:52. > :09:37.chance to split the balls up, and he is getting the due reward.
:09:38. > :09:44.A cue action that has not changed much over the years. John said he
:09:45. > :09:48.thought he found something, playing in one of the tournaments abroad. In
:09:49. > :09:53.a team competition. He said to Stephen Maguire, he found what's
:09:54. > :09:56.been missing from his game. His cue action has national changed much,
:09:57. > :09:59.but whatever it was, that minor tweak has made the world of
:10:00. > :10:11.difference to him. He's full of confidence again. Yes, it's very
:10:12. > :10:17.repeattive, his cue action. It just two or three waggles and a more
:10:18. > :10:21.difficult shot. If you watch his address to the plaque, just one or 2
:10:22. > :10:27.long waggles and then a short one, and hit. Just caught the near jaw
:10:28. > :10:32.for that. Aiming for the pocket for the red to drop in.
:10:33. > :10:42.Just the cue action we're talking about. Top class.
:10:43. > :10:59.You want to copy one, not a bad one to copy.
:11:00. > :11:07.Probably have to go up the table now. Don't think he'll take a chance
:11:08. > :11:12.on playing the cannon with those 2 Reds behind the pink. And already,
:11:13. > :11:26.absolutely perfect. I'm sure, he thought it was going to
:11:27. > :11:28.be a tough match today, but he certainly found out quickly in this
:11:29. > :11:35.first frame. He had first opportunity. And afraid at the
:11:36. > :11:41.Masters, some of the best players in the world, a tough skill. You got to
:11:42. > :11:44.take your chances. He hit it well enough. Just, about that left-hand
:11:45. > :11:51.side jaw. Look at this for a shot. APPLAUSE
:11:52. > :12:01.Early on in the frame, could Liang Wenbo put down a marker? Well, John
:12:02. > :12:06.Higgins certainly has. He played well -- play well, or you'll be
:12:07. > :12:16.going home, Liang. This is hugely impressive from Higgins.
:12:17. > :12:21.Just gone into the cue ball a little bit too much there. Going to leave
:12:22. > :12:26.it for the middle pocket, but well past the winning post in the first
:12:27. > :12:27.frame here. Nice to make a century though. Never in doubt.
:12:28. > :12:36.APPLAUSE He seems to have his belief back in
:12:37. > :12:48.his game. Wonder if he is going to make a
:12:49. > :12:52.century. He's going to need some pot here.
:12:53. > :12:58.APPLAUSE Oh, goodness me. What a shot that
:12:59. > :13:10.was. Very ominous signs already for his
:13:11. > :13:42.opponent. That was a beautiful pot. Watch this. Never touched the sides.
:13:43. > :13:50.Brilliant. APPLAUSE
:13:51. > :13:55.Absolutely brilliant. Wonderful control. And he's had the pace of
:13:56. > :13:59.the table. It's been exceptional, this break. He is looking right back
:14:00. > :14:17.to his best. Just this black for a break of 119,
:14:18. > :14:22.and you can't start much better than that. Superb, lig Higgins. He has to
:14:23. > :14:25.sit on the chair and watch for the rest of the frame. He takes the
:14:26. > :15:01.opening frame and leads 1-0. Got a red to the left-hand coverage
:15:02. > :15:06.pocket. Quite a comfortable shot. A nice angle to get round the black
:15:07. > :15:16.and back up to the baulk end. The top players will expect to get this,
:15:17. > :15:22.7 out of 10. Good shot. Tried to stop the cue ball on the power, but
:15:23. > :15:26.it's going to run too far. Still on the yellow. The red is lined up now.
:15:27. > :15:29.He can played off the right-hand side side cushion. But it's quite
:15:30. > :15:44.tricky to judge the pace of this. Yes, the pot itself is not totally
:15:45. > :15:48.straightforward, and to judge the pace of the cushion, can easily run
:15:49. > :15:54.away, the cue ball here. APPLAUSE
:15:55. > :16:01.I think that's what has happened. There was a shot that was a
:16:02. > :16:03.difficult pot, the cue balls runs that end of the snooker, which was
:16:04. > :16:46.what happened there. Good The referee just checking where the
:16:47. > :16:50.cue ball is, in case there's a miss here. He gives him a better
:16:51. > :16:56.indication. Just wondering here. He gives him a better
:16:57. > :16:57.he could have snuck past the blue hit the side of the pang, but it's
:16:58. > :17:14.obviously too tight. The outside red Not the best, again. To
:17:15. > :17:28.centre... Depends, well, he Not the best, again. To
:17:29. > :17:32.refusing it, so, that tells you the cue ball
:17:33. > :17:35.refusing it, so, that tells you the pocket. Playing the red
:17:36. > :17:36.refusing it, so, that tells you the middle... Maybe
:17:37. > :17:39.refusing it, so, that tells you the made in the first frame has
:17:40. > :18:01.refusing it, so, that tells you the a bit wary of taking dodgy shots on.
:18:02. > :18:18.John Higgins, probably if not in best, in the top two or three at
:18:19. > :18:22.safety and that was a complete misjudgment.
:18:23. > :18:29.That was a good shot. APPLAUSE
:18:30. > :18:39.Just enough on the cue ball to run through past the reds. For a nice
:18:40. > :18:45.side of the table for a left-hander for to play the black from. So, one
:18:46. > :18:57.good positional shot here, and the could be a decent
:18:58. > :19:06.Think he was on it. Cue ball has just pulled up in time. So it's a
:19:07. > :19:10.very good chance. Pots this, comes through for the ball, a little
:19:11. > :19:16.cannon on the red to the left of the cue ball now, and those two would be
:19:17. > :19:20.ideal. He is playing a skewback so the other red goes as well, people
:19:21. > :19:41.see their breaks being made, I see it slightly differently.
:19:42. > :19:50., if this was a boxing match, it's important for Wenbo to get a
:19:51. > :19:56.counterpunch in, as much for your own confidence, to send a message to
:19:57. > :20:03.your opponent, "When I get in, I'm going to win the frame in one visit
:20:04. > :20:06.as well." These are lovely now, a couple of screwbacks and that cannon
:20:07. > :20:14.into the reds, has opened this up into an excellent chance. The 1
:20:15. > :20:19.thing he can do, Liang Wenbo, above anything, is score. He played in a
:20:20. > :20:25.qualifier a few years ago. I was playing in the qualifier and I
:20:26. > :20:31.walked in and he kaunt believe what he had just done. 3 centuries in a
:20:32. > :20:54.90 and a maximum in a 3-0 win. Incredible scoring. In
:20:55. > :21:02.Looks pretty calmed and copomed there. Times in the UK, towards the
:21:03. > :21:08.end of the tournament, he looked anything but calm and composed. He
:21:09. > :21:12.was sweating, slapping his face, banging the take. But he looks
:21:13. > :21:20.focused at the moment. You may be very right with Stephen. It may be a
:21:21. > :21:27.case of, you know, he got a terrible record with John Higgins, he may go
:21:28. > :21:33.and play his snooker. He may think, "My record's poor, it can only get
:21:34. > :21:37.better." It's worked before. Just relax and see what happens. , the
:21:38. > :22:05.red passes the green so no problem. Off the yellow now, a screw down the
:22:06. > :22:13.left-hand side of the table, as we look at it. At least 3 reds that go
:22:14. > :22:17.there. Could be straight down or off the cushion, whatever he chooses.
:22:18. > :22:20.Always when you're making these breaks, try and leaf yourself in
:22:21. > :22:28.areas where you've got options. There's at least two that were going
:22:29. > :22:37.to be good for him. This is an impressivery post. -- an
:22:38. > :22:41.impressivery post. Played the cannon into the red and pink here. He could
:22:42. > :23:07.play past it, but it's on. That carries on like this, we are in
:23:08. > :23:24.for a cracker. Both players looking in great form.
:23:25. > :23:32.Could see nearly five centuries in this match, if both players continue
:23:33. > :23:35.like this. This is high-quality break building. Both breaks, both
:23:36. > :23:57.players have their cue ball on a string.
:23:58. > :24:05.Yes, it would appear, nothing like winning the 3 matches and doing well
:24:06. > :24:12.in a tournament to build your confidence up. He was ticking along
:24:13. > :24:15.the tournaments without doing anything special, Liang, but
:24:16. > :24:20.reaching that UK final has built up his confidence levels.
:24:21. > :24:27.APPLAUSE Coming out of back to pack centuries
:24:28. > :24:32.to start this match. That red on the side cushion is not too bad for him,
:24:33. > :24:33.being left-handed. He gets in behind that, he can drop it down the
:24:34. > :24:49.cushion. Could have done with another couple
:24:50. > :24:53.of inches on the cue ball there, just to get behind it with his own
:24:54. > :24:59.cue, not having to use the exception. The cue ball is going to
:25:00. > :25:00.a perfect angle for the next colour. It's not there.
:25:01. > :25:11.APPLAUSE John Higgins knows he's in a match
:25:12. > :25:29.now. And Liang Wenbo with a brilliant break levels it at 1-all.
:25:30. > :25:36.Got to make sure if you're going to pot this, you stagger the cue ball
:25:37. > :25:38.through, past the red on the right that's blocking the black. This is
:25:39. > :25:52.not straightforward, this shot. APPLAUSE
:25:53. > :25:56.Good pot. Just that a little bit of extra run through required after he
:25:57. > :25:58.stunned it and made it more difficult. This black coming up is
:25:59. > :26:17.massive. Plenty of pressure on this. APPLAUSE
:26:18. > :26:22.Well, that was in a different way, as difficult as the red. He is
:26:23. > :26:24.leaving everything on there, should he miss the black. Did it very
:26:25. > :26:37.confidently. No, a great chance. He couldn't have
:26:38. > :26:43.the reds much better for the ultimate prize, John. May be a bit
:26:44. > :26:48.early to predict. Gone for one of those. I can't believe it: I know
:26:49. > :27:12.it's your birthday... Just tried to leave an angle there,
:27:13. > :27:22.to flick the red away, from the other one. And the whole black area
:27:23. > :27:25.opened up after the next shot. A leavely little sequence of stunned
:27:26. > :27:29.cannons he played. He deserves everything he guess. The 2 shots at
:27:30. > :27:35.the start of this break were excellent.
:27:36. > :28:06.the start of this break were plenty of nerve.
:28:07. > :28:15.Just let that coo ball run. Just to make the blacks missable. If you're
:28:16. > :28:22.keeping your eye on the positional side, you can take the other pot
:28:23. > :28:23.here. No problem. He just bunched the reds up a bit, after playing
:28:24. > :28:42.that cannon. priority, he'll be starting to have
:28:43. > :29:29.thoughts at the back of his mind. He knows how well the reds are placed.
:29:30. > :29:35.Well, this is going beautifully so far. He's got a choice of rid, one
:29:36. > :29:37.he can play through the pack, and one he can
:29:38. > :29:40.he can play through the pack, and the right-hand side. He is taking
:29:41. > :29:46.these beautifully so far. Yep, that
:29:47. > :30:13.another red out. He played that in a way, he left
:30:14. > :30:20.himself opportunity, 2 pots, 1 in the middle or one in the corner.
:30:21. > :30:25.Can take it from me, he is after the maximum. He knows full well that
:30:26. > :30:52.it's on. Just slightly hampered cueingwise
:30:53. > :30:57.with that red on the side cushion. Just a little bit awkward. Yeah, and
:30:58. > :31:02.and this will show us his intentions. Yep. I
:31:03. > :31:06.and this will show us his playing for there. Very easy to
:31:07. > :31:14.follow that through for the blue there.
:31:15. > :31:26.That's all right through the gap there. The rest are perfectly down
:31:27. > :31:46.for the black again. It's looking like that red on the
:31:47. > :31:52.side cushion... Is going to be the stumbling block. Moment, the ones in
:31:53. > :31:58.the open look like they are going to go.
:31:59. > :32:02.I think he played that beautifully. He has. Screwback for the black, no
:32:03. > :32:18.problem. He could play for the loose red now,
:32:19. > :32:21.the red that's on the left-hand cushion now, if he got the perfect
:32:22. > :32:27.angle. Would you play it, Stephen? You got to. You may never get the
:32:28. > :32:33.chance again to drop nicely on it. He could have put that cue ball
:32:34. > :32:36.anywhere on the red there. You got to pot the red eventually. A little
:32:37. > :32:49.bit surprised there. Still in perfect position on these reds.
:32:50. > :32:58.Not got the angle now to get on the red and he's gone slightly the wrong
:32:59. > :33:08.side of the black. Bet he wished he played for that red now.
:33:09. > :33:24.Well, he chucked the cue ball off the side cushion and we mentions
:33:25. > :33:29.that he probably should have done it 3 shots ago. He will be kicking
:33:30. > :33:36.himself. He was perfect on that 3 shots ago. Hardly ever, I would
:33:37. > :33:39.disagree with a shot that John Higgins plays on the balls... Oh,
:33:40. > :33:49.got a kick. The rights and wrongs of whether he
:33:50. > :33:52.should have played that shot, but nevertheless, a brilliant century
:33:53. > :35:01.break from John Higgins. 2-2 at the interval. Good try.
:35:02. > :35:10.A bit of barman duties going on, the other side. Thankfully, he is better
:35:11. > :35:10.with his cue than he is with the ice cubes.
:35:11. > :35:31.LAUGHTER He's gone back to the quality of the
:35:32. > :35:37.opening session. Superb. Put the best 16 players in the world in a
:35:38. > :35:43.melting pot, you are going to get good matches. So far, this is
:35:44. > :35:46.looking one them. The best of the opening round, both players playing
:35:47. > :35:53.well. Good scoring, good tactical play.
:35:54. > :36:10.One player just trying to edge ahead.
:36:11. > :36:16.That can make a safety a little bit more difficult. Obviously, you need
:36:17. > :36:25.to cover it. That may be a case of just bringing the cue ball back to
:36:26. > :36:28.the top of the table. Yes, I think that he could have played thin off
:36:29. > :36:35.the left-hand side of the pack there. And left a cue ball up near
:36:36. > :36:39.the yellow pocket. Didn't look too difficult to snooker John on the
:36:40. > :36:47.red. He chose to play the more conservative shot.
:36:48. > :36:53.I thinkty probably know the answer to this before I ask you, I suppose
:36:54. > :36:58.you don't like these frames too much, did you? No, when esee a
:36:59. > :37:02.player play the shot that John played, I know he didn't have an
:37:03. > :37:07.option, it's never a good start to a frame. You always end up with a kind
:37:08. > :37:35.of nonsense. Tool early to be calling a potential
:37:36. > :37:44.rerack, I would think. Wurn afternoon, 23 minutes played in a
:37:45. > :37:50.frame before we got a rerack. It was the right decision to make, the pall
:37:51. > :37:57.had gone very awkward with no end in sight. This hasn't quite taken on a
:37:58. > :38:01.rerack just yet. Looking at, there's a red just outside the edge of the
:38:02. > :38:07.bunch, that goes up to the green pocket. Don't think he can play it
:38:08. > :38:14.as a slight shot to nothing. Yep, there it is. And he's got it.
:38:15. > :38:21.APPLAUSE Probably was never going to have a
:38:22. > :38:23.nice pot on the black. He's had one of those ones, hard to be totally
:38:24. > :38:40.committed. Those shots I could never play with,
:38:41. > :38:44.the bottom of the cue ball. That's one, well, on these cloth, there are
:38:45. > :38:53.a little easier. Not an easy shot to play.
:38:54. > :39:06.So very tactical at the moment. I suppose, Liang can push the red to
:39:07. > :39:12.the baulk area. He can push that up and down, and move the cue ball on
:39:13. > :39:14.the bottom cushion, if he wants, or he may take the pot. This will tell
:39:15. > :39:35.us what he's feeling like. I preassume it was a spot. But he
:39:36. > :39:38.got it pretty thick. The cueing was always going to be difficult there.
:39:39. > :39:40.A very simple push up and down on the red if he didn't want to take
:39:41. > :40:03.the pot on. Yes, the percentage shot again. He
:40:04. > :40:05.didn't look it coming off the bunch. It's brought the cue ball somewhere
:40:06. > :40:09.up around the yellow It's brought the cue ball somewhere
:40:10. > :40:13.it was too risky. Wondering whether that's a good shot at all. The cue
:40:14. > :40:15.ball needed to be tight on the cushion. I think that Liang will
:40:16. > :40:21.have a go at the red that's near the have a go at the red that's near the
:40:22. > :40:24.black. Shouldn't have been available, this one.
:40:25. > :40:30.He went for it. And I don't blame him in the slightest, because that
:40:31. > :40:52.was a chance. He just didn't pot it. Really good kug, that was. --
:40:53. > :41:13.cueing, that was. RANSMIT To be important to know
:41:14. > :41:20.that... Trying to establish a lead in this match. Seeing his opponent
:41:21. > :41:26.hitting the pall very well, chances like this, you need to make the most
:41:27. > :41:28.of them. Around this four reds in the open before he has to do any
:41:29. > :41:36.work amongst the pack. I know you didn't fail many maximum
:41:37. > :41:45.attempts but on the odd I know you didn't fail many maximum
:41:46. > :41:51.you done that, would it affect you much? I think, it was the frame
:41:52. > :41:57.before the interval as well, he had 15 minutes or so to get it out of
:41:58. > :42:03.his mind. John is too experienced, he would have forgotten about it
:42:04. > :42:08.now. He made 2 centuries already. These are the type of openings,
:42:09. > :42:42.again, he'll be looking to... Win Yes, took the opportunity to develop
:42:43. > :42:50.a few reds. Thinking that when he is straight off the pack, he'll leave
:42:51. > :42:55.the 1 in the middle. I would expect him to pot this, we tricky when the
:42:56. > :42:59.balls are all close together. Difficult to work the angle
:43:00. > :43:03.sometimes. John is having a look down the line of the shots. Three
:43:04. > :43:08.are not absolute gimmes, these types of shots.
:43:09. > :43:18.Well played. Couldn't do much with the cue ball there, it was all about
:43:19. > :43:22.the pot. He's got a natural angle to drop the blue in, and cue ball to
:43:23. > :43:29.the top cushion for the load red, to the right of the black. -- for the
:43:30. > :43:36.loose red, to the right of the black. Possibly the angle, if he was
:43:37. > :43:45.playing it harder, it would have frightened him off. But a bit of
:43:46. > :43:51.work to be done here for position. May have an anging to come down --
:43:52. > :43:55.an angle to come down for the black. He played a more guaranteed
:43:56. > :44:00.positional shot. Yeah, I think with that red being in the baulk area,
:44:01. > :44:08.also an insurance policy if he didn't quite get on the blue
:44:09. > :44:26.properly. Still too much to play for it.
:44:27. > :44:32.Obviously that red is occupying the most of it. The 1 that's available.
:44:33. > :44:38.Couldn't have prayed that any better.
:44:39. > :44:47.For scrapping around for position for a few shots, he got the cue ball
:44:48. > :44:48.back on a Centrelink. String. -- back on a string. Straightforward
:44:49. > :45:01.for a few shots there. High quality stuff at the moment.
:45:02. > :45:06.And tough to play against. Yeah, don't forsee, when he is in the
:45:07. > :45:38.palls, he doesn't like, "Missing. -- doesn't look like missing.
:45:39. > :45:45.Probably have to play a cannon into the four reds here. He played just a
:45:46. > :45:47.little red to goes into the bottom of the four. This will open up the
:45:48. > :46:20.other three. Cue ball control implaque late here.
:46:21. > :46:25.And you don't need to miss too much in this school. Over the years, one
:46:26. > :46:36.visit stuff at the moment. With whether they are in. That's the
:46:37. > :46:42.level they are playing at. John has never had to may a difficult shot
:46:43. > :46:48.when he's in. His positional play has been so, well, how he found that
:46:49. > :46:55.gap... He could play that shot again 100 times, he'll go through that
:46:56. > :47:05.gap. Yeah, amazing, isn't it? Any flick on the pink, flick on the red
:47:06. > :47:10.He was going to be OK. He is 66 points ahead, with only 59 on, but
:47:11. > :47:26.he would have liked to have got this frame out of the way.
:47:27. > :47:33.He has to roll on the back of his red, he rolls up to the back of it,
:47:34. > :47:34.that will do for the time being. Doesn't have to play the plants, of
:47:35. > :47:46.course. APPLAUSE
:47:47. > :48:01.Is that a break? If he can do that, why not? What a shot that was.
:48:02. > :48:18.Slight grimmas there. He finished dead straight on the red. Have to
:48:19. > :48:46.stun it and leave the brown to the left centre. D. Have to
:48:47. > :48:54.It's not there. But 75 from John Higgins. Beautifully constructed. To
:48:55. > :49:10.establish himself in the match. He takes a three-2 lead.
:49:11. > :49:16.This time, the shot we've been mentioning in the safety shot,
:49:17. > :49:21.leaving the cue ball on the black cushion, don't think it's on now.
:49:22. > :49:33.It's a decent break there, from John Yeah, a feature of this match as
:49:34. > :49:37.well, it's been free-flowing and open, the and boys have been able to
:49:38. > :49:43.score because the black hasn't been tied off. It seems to eye off the
:49:44. > :49:44.black when you break off. It hasn't happened today so far. They have
:49:45. > :49:54.been able to score. Well, he played a shot. Where is the
:49:55. > :50:07.red going in? Past the middle? Just. Don't think it's pottable.
:50:08. > :50:18.Been playing there red off the jaw of the pocket, leaf the cue ball in
:50:19. > :50:23.the baulk area. It was about as good as he could do. It was nearly past
:50:24. > :51:09.the red, wasn't it? He did well to get it right towards the pink.
:51:10. > :51:18.All the time when you are play against John, safety on your play as
:51:19. > :51:24.well. You know it's -- pressure on your safety play as well. You know
:51:25. > :51:26.his is going to be so good. Very difficult to outfox him. I don't
:51:27. > :51:27.think that's difficult to outfox him. I don't
:51:28. > :51:34.shot. Lucky difficult to outfox him. I don't
:51:35. > :51:57.with the cue ball there. A little bit too
:51:58. > :52:03.That's what John Higgins is looking at, which is taking a bit of time to
:52:04. > :52:09.think out his safety shot. Probably just a bit of checkside up and down.
:52:10. > :52:17.Always trying to make sure you get the cue ball as tight as possible to
:52:18. > :52:22.the baulk cushion, because you could knock a red out towards the corner.
:52:23. > :52:23.John thinks he's left him a little bit of a chance. Tough pot, this,
:52:24. > :52:49.though. Did that beautifully. Really good.
:52:50. > :53:10.Straight into the heart of the pocket. Excellent.
:53:11. > :53:37.9 foot, 10, cued right through the middle. Great shot. If Liang can get
:53:38. > :53:40.a half ball angle on in black, that red over the centre pocket is a
:53:41. > :53:45.massive insurance policy. He can get on there, split the pack up.
:53:46. > :53:49.massive insurance policy. He can get don't land on one, you've got the
:53:50. > :53:53.one over the centre pocket. Very tempted to get the half ball on the
:53:54. > :54:01.black as soon as possible. Get the pack open. If it doesn't go right,
:54:02. > :54:05.you have still got the red. When you go into the bunch, go into them
:54:06. > :54:10.whether there's still a couple of loads reds. You have to insurance
:54:11. > :54:12.you are talking about. It's always wrong the play all the loose reds
:54:13. > :54:33.first. Couldn't agree with you more. Geant go into them with as much
:54:34. > :54:38.conviction -- don't go into them with as much conviction as you
:54:39. > :54:43.thought. That could have gone wrong. If he got a thick contact on the
:54:44. > :54:45.pack. He is taking the red we mentioned. So it did come in handy
:54:46. > :54:56.after you'll. -- after all. There's one good positional shot
:54:57. > :55:25.away from an excellent chance here, Liang.
:55:26. > :55:33.Might be OK, but one thing he didn't want to be was hampered by the blue.
:55:34. > :55:40.Think he should be able to cue it OK. Just about.
:55:41. > :55:48.The best bit of cueing I've seen. A little flick at that one. Maybe he
:55:49. > :55:52.was worried about his follow-through. The cue going
:55:53. > :56:02.through the bridge hand that it make the blue. A little bit flicky.
:56:03. > :56:04.Compared who what else he's done today, his cueing has been very
:56:05. > :56:21.Right, a gap there, the let tot to the #r50i9 of the pink. And in -- to
:56:22. > :56:26.the right of the pink. In practice, he got into the bunch there at pace.
:56:27. > :56:32.Perhaps, trying to pick off the loose reds first. A little bit
:56:33. > :56:37.negative. I'm with you - the shot early in the frame, when he had the
:56:38. > :56:44.half ball into the pack, he had to hit them harder and thicker. And the
:56:45. > :56:46.balls would have been everywhere. He didn't do it so a 36-opponent lead
:56:47. > :57:25.is what he's left with. He is looking at this red, up to the
:57:26. > :57:30.far right-hand corner. I think he's thinking the cue ball is going to go
:57:31. > :57:37.through the gap. A great pot. APPLAUSE
:57:38. > :57:42.That's the kind of shot to nothing. So long as he made the gap between
:57:43. > :57:55.the red and the black. A great pot. Just finished on the yellow here,
:57:56. > :57:57.don't know whether he can avoid the cannon on the brown. If he can, it's
:57:58. > :58:09.a good chance. Always looked like being a little
:58:10. > :58:11.bit of a problem, if you get a flick off the brown there. Take the pace
:58:12. > :58:19.out of the cue ball. Often, 3 ball colours in one shot,
:58:20. > :58:55.but he did there. A choice of 2 reds here, a red at
:58:56. > :59:04.the bottom of bunch, or the left corner. Too far, a red to the left
:59:05. > :59:07.centre. Nicely played. Wush good positional shot on the black and you
:59:08. > :59:15.think he has to win this sixth frame.
:59:16. > :59:27.He seems a lot more in control of his emotions today. With the UK
:59:28. > :59:33.Championship you mentioned early, he was having a few historionics.
:59:34. > :59:38.Patting himself on the head to make himself concentrate more. Today he
:59:39. > :59:45.seems to be in total control of everything. Playing very well but
:59:46. > :59:51.more importantly, in control of himself. He is definitely, a
:59:52. > :59:54.big-occasion player. He enjoys the big occasions. He is much more
:59:55. > :00:05.comfortable when he is not expected to win. He is the underdog. He can
:00:06. > :00:08.relax a bit more. And so I suppose, what we're saying, it may be
:00:09. > :00:14.interesting whether he gets near the winning post. What happens here. But
:00:15. > :00:22.it's a fair way away at the moment. All to be revealed.
:00:23. > :00:29.A big shot. That really should be the frame winner. Stun off the
:00:30. > :00:36.black, the bottom red pots, should be 3 apiece.
:00:37. > :00:43.Yeah, this is all the more impressive when you mention before,
:00:44. > :00:52.John, it's 7 for zero against John Higgins.
:00:53. > :00:59.He lost 7 times in a row to him. Yeah, I think he may have put a few
:01:00. > :01:03.other people... Well played, great shot.
:01:04. > :01:35.APPLAUSE When you see him playing lies thick,
:01:36. > :01:42.you think, "Where have you been?" I thought, he could be the next big
:01:43. > :01:48.thing, that good. But for a few seasons, he was moderate by his own
:01:49. > :01:56.standards. You see him play like this, he is a top, top player.
:01:57. > :02:11.Planned to go around the back of the red, I wouldn't put it past him to
:02:12. > :02:18.knock this in. The opening red was an absolute cracker for this break.
:02:19. > :02:24.Well, it's not there this time. But nevertheless, Liang Wenbo... He has
:02:25. > :03:11.a 61 break. He levels the match. 3 frames all.
:03:12. > :03:17.Liang made a brilliant 88 in the second frame, and then 36 and 31 in
:03:18. > :03:23.the last. There's the highest breaks. Really good stuff. And
:03:24. > :03:29.Liang's long-potting has been superb. He is currently at 100%. See
:03:30. > :03:38.if he can keep it up here. He sure can. , I haven't seen him play this
:03:39. > :03:49.well. He is playing better here than he did at the UK.
:03:50. > :03:57.Well, that shot was as a the first one was good. It's the first one I
:03:58. > :04:01.have seen him, have a bit of body movement on. He played that a little
:04:02. > :04:06.bit like he was playing the shots at the UK, with a little bit anxious.
:04:07. > :04:09.And that's the first one, because for a
:04:10. > :04:20.Mind you, lose position there, is pretty poor.
:04:21. > :04:34.Mind you, it may not be under a break.
:04:35. > :04:42., yep, that's From how bad the shot previously
:04:43. > :04:48.was. Just was not concentrating on that pot at all. You can see it in
:04:49. > :04:51.his face. We haven't seen a lot of reaction from him today, but that's
:04:52. > :05:00.the first time. Very poor shot on the block. Black. -- on the black.
:05:01. > :05:11.The worst thing about that, he is in it now. If he was in the club, you
:05:12. > :05:16.can never play a shot that bad all day. It was as if he played such a
:05:17. > :05:26.good shot, he forgot to concentrate on the second one.
:05:27. > :05:29.There's just so many options there from that position. To do that,
:05:30. > :05:39.well..very poor. And the one thing you know, when you
:05:40. > :05:45.play John Higgins, he is not going to let you off the hook if you make
:05:46. > :05:50.mistakes like that. He knows how much those situations hurt and he'll
:05:51. > :05:54.try to make maximum opportunity on your misfortune. He'll be fearing
:05:55. > :06:07.the worst there, Liang. Yeah, it's 4-3. Especially the way
:06:08. > :06:16.that John's scored, when he's been in the balls today.
:06:17. > :06:34.I'll be shocked if it's not 4-3 after this visit. Yes, I always
:06:35. > :06:38.thought he was the toughest player to play on the circuit. You are in
:06:39. > :06:42.for an afternoon of tough, tough match play. And someone who scored
:06:43. > :06:47.brilliantly and always played the right shot. Which is why that
:06:48. > :06:55.maximum attempt before, was strange, as we mentioned. The cannon to split
:06:56. > :06:58.the reds up at all the time, moving a couple of reds out, making the
:06:59. > :07:13.break easier. Got nothing easy against John Higgins.
:07:14. > :07:20.Beautiful little cannon that was. Just made a massive difference to
:07:21. > :07:43.that break. Opened up a couple more reds.
:07:44. > :07:50.Just below the pink pot is ideal. Pot that run through, and he'll open
:07:51. > :07:59.up - well it's gone dead straight. He doesn't need to worry about
:08:00. > :08:50.flicking off the pink. This is brilliant stuff.
:08:51. > :08:57.And just to widen there angle. Don't know whether he is on the outside
:08:58. > :09:47.red. Just to zip A season or so ago, he was a shadow.
:09:48. > :09:51.But, he turned it around and no uncertain terms and we mentioned
:09:52. > :09:53.early, 3 times a calendar year a winner. He is just playing some
:09:54. > :09:59.great stuff. His cue ball control has been
:10:00. > :10:48.absolutely superb. Left himself a tough black here from
:10:49. > :10:53.tight cushion. But obviously the frame is won, but that takes the
:10:54. > :10:58.pressure off. Just a matter of potting the black. Automatically
:10:59. > :11:02.going to be the red in the right corner.
:11:03. > :11:11.He finished low on the reds, so be able to nudge that red away from the
:11:12. > :11:39.pink. 2 pots away from century number 3
:11:40. > :11:52.today for John Higgins. APPLAUSE
:11:53. > :11:56.The perfect angle, he got the black in, up for the yellow, and no reason
:11:57. > :12:03.why it wouldn't be the total clearance.
:12:04. > :12:11.A wonderful trophy, made of crystal, that they'll be praying for this
:12:12. > :12:13.week. -- playing for this week. If he keeps playing like this, it may
:12:14. > :12:40.be his. Who knows? A sign of a player at the top of
:12:41. > :12:43.their game. A little bit disappointed he didn't hit that
:12:44. > :12:54.green as well as he wanted. But the frame is over. Sets himself very
:12:55. > :13:01.high standards. And definitely maintaining them today. Brilliant
:13:02. > :13:05.stuff. This for 133 and his third century of the match. Fantastic.
:13:06. > :13:10.Absolutely brilliant, John Higgins. A wonderful break. Liang Wenbo lost
:13:11. > :13:12.the vision and that was enough to sit down and watch the rest of the
:13:13. > :13:33.frame. He now leads 4' 3. -- 4-3. This will be interesting frame,
:13:34. > :13:38.this, from Liang Wenbo's point of view. He would be kicking himself
:13:39. > :13:42.while that break was being made, he was first in, on an excellent
:13:43. > :13:51.opportunity, lost position that he would never do if he was practitions
:13:52. > :13:54.in a club, and subsequently, failed the long red and he had to sit and
:13:55. > :14:47.watch. But it was his chance There's a collector' item. John
:14:48. > :14:55.Higgins hit the baulk on a safety shot like that. Didn't see that one
:14:56. > :15:01.coming. Not easy, of course, the shot he's been left, Liang, but he
:15:02. > :15:14.has amazed himself he got a pot at a red here.
:15:15. > :15:40.Did that nicely. Kept very still on that shot.
:15:41. > :15:46.So, already is this match going to follow the pattern so far. John
:15:47. > :15:49.Higgins get as frame ahead and Liang Wenbo comes straight back. A lot of
:15:50. > :15:53.snookers Wenbo comes straight back. A lot of
:15:54. > :16:00.before that is obvious. But it's happened
:16:01. > :16:07.It wasn't the cleanest of pots. He played for the blue bl and put the
:16:08. > :16:14.red to the left-hand side of the pocket. He is not perfect now. A
:16:15. > :16:16.slight bit of movement there. Wasn't the cleanest of cue actions. You can
:16:17. > :17:13.see his back elbow behind his head. Yeaheding looked to make some sort
:17:14. > :17:21.of contact. Once he pots the back here, he may be tied up. Still could
:17:22. > :17:25.go past the back corner. If the red goes past the black, it was a
:17:26. > :17:29.leavely shot. Sure did. Thinking like you, he had a lot of angle on
:17:30. > :17:30.that, did well to hold that. Couldn't have played that any
:17:31. > :17:41.better. Looking nice now. Two box reds on
:17:42. > :17:45.the cluster are definitely going to pot. He turned it into a decent
:17:46. > :18:14.chance, Liang. R Wasn't the best positional shoxt
:18:15. > :18:19.he is playing for top -- shot. He is playing for top spin. It was all
:18:20. > :18:27.caused by a similar shot to the last frame, not hitting it strong enough
:18:28. > :18:30.on the black. Careless. For top -- shot. He is playing for top spin. It
:18:31. > :18:32.was all caused by a similar shot to the last frame, not hitting it
:18:33. > :18:34.strong enough on the black. Careless. Kicking himself there.
:18:35. > :18:37.Goodness me, he was in perfect position 2 shots ago. The 2 reds
:18:38. > :18:42.available, didn't think he was going to fall down there.
:18:43. > :18:53.This one has to be hit a lot firmer. He knew he was going to contact them
:18:54. > :18:57.pretty thick. More top spin required. One or two signs of Liang
:18:58. > :19:08.feeling the pink. -- the Wary of leaving that. Looking to see
:19:09. > :19:13.if there's a 3-ball plant. And it's pretty close. He's going to play off
:19:14. > :19:15.the red on the side cushion and safety, and make sure he covers that
:19:16. > :19:25.up. Which he's done.
:19:26. > :19:29.APPLAUSE Yeah, it's OK. Would have liked to
:19:30. > :19:30.have covered the left-hand side of the pack here. He's got a
:19:31. > :19:40.comfortable safety shot. John got the cue ball in behind the
:19:41. > :19:57.yellow, in all sorts of trouble. He was a bit weak with the cue ball
:19:58. > :20:01.there, Liang. One of those ones where it's more trouble been shorter
:20:02. > :20:06.than right down to the baulk cushion. He has to play it with a
:20:07. > :20:10.little bit of check side here. He missed the bump on the middle
:20:11. > :20:39.pocket, which he's done. Good shot. Obviously with the brown being off
:20:40. > :20:46.the spot as well, 1 less ball you can behind the cue ball behind.
:20:47. > :20:46.So... The green and yellow are down there, not always the biggest
:20:47. > :20:57.targets. Quite a clever shot that. A shot to
:20:58. > :21:29.nothing there. APPLAUSE
:21:30. > :21:37.Yeah, got quite a good shot. He covered the right-hand side of the
:21:38. > :21:42.pack with the blue, the brown is covering the left-hand red, and the
:21:43. > :21:48.one that he can see directly in a line with a cue ball, you can't play
:21:49. > :21:52.off that. He'll get a cannon on the left-hand red.
:21:53. > :22:16.There is the dreaded cannon. He didn't get that wafer thin, you are
:22:17. > :22:23.you were in trouble. -- he was in trouble.
:22:24. > :22:29.Although autofirst look, he was quite fortunate to leave it where he
:22:30. > :22:38.has, Liang. Could have left it a lot easier than this.
:22:39. > :22:44.Not sure if the path of the cue has to bridge over the pink here. If it
:22:45. > :22:51.doesn't, it's quite a comfortable shot to may off 2 cushions for the
:22:52. > :22:55.plaque to the right corner. -- for the black to the right coverage. Or
:22:56. > :23:04.he could play the pink to the same pocket. He could have a choice of
:23:05. > :23:07.two or three colours here. Sometimes it's being a distraction. You need
:23:08. > :23:09.20 make sure you concentrate fully on the shot you're playing.
:23:10. > :23:29.APPLAUSE Millimetre. Could have had a -- MM.
:23:30. > :23:31.Cooed have had a better kiss, I suppose. Just lot the cue ball a bit
:23:32. > :23:49.there. Wondering if he can get to the
:23:50. > :23:54.green. Might be a shot for him. Back to the reds. The finish is pretty
:23:55. > :23:59.awkward for everything. If there's a red at the back of the cluster
:24:00. > :24:01.that's all right. He would get down and stun the black for it. But there
:24:02. > :24:51.isn't. Good pot from Liang. Unlucky with
:24:52. > :24:58.that cannon. Has a chance to put John in a fair bit of trouble here.
:24:59. > :25:04.Just looking to see whether this cue, whether around the baulk there,
:25:05. > :25:26.I would think, there's the worst for John to reply.
:25:27. > :25:31.That's pretty comfortable, off two cushions down the back of the bunch
:25:32. > :25:35.for five reds. Just getting the pace right. Looks like a fair margin of
:25:36. > :26:12.error not to leave anything. Huh. A chance to get up, back behind
:26:13. > :26:16.the yellow, if Liang want it. He is looking at the angle of the plant
:26:17. > :26:18.there. He would run inside, not behind the yellow again. Just
:26:19. > :26:35.slightly overhit it. Liang has a 29 point lead in this
:26:36. > :26:56.frame. Especially when you were playing Higgins and the form he has
:26:57. > :27:06.been in. That -- if he has got away with that he has been very
:27:07. > :27:10.fortunate. It is not very often that you see that, his safety game has
:27:11. > :27:28.been the worst aspect of his game today. 82%, it is usually higher
:27:29. > :28:13.than for John. -- than that. Play that specifically to the pink
:28:14. > :28:22.there. The rate is below the pink spot and that is available. He will
:28:23. > :28:38.heat up the other corner for another red -- it -- he will hit up the
:28:39. > :29:15.other corner for another red. A tiny bit of frustration in Higgins
:29:16. > :29:30.at the moment. He has played so well. And yet, it looks like it will
:29:31. > :29:33.be 4-4. Normally when you play as well and as heavy as Higgins has
:29:34. > :29:41.played, you expect them to be well ahead. A lot of credit to Liang the
:29:42. > :29:51.keeping his focus in this match -- for.
:29:52. > :30:02.That kind of went wrong. Just try to flick it out a little bit but it got
:30:03. > :30:09.stuck on the other one. 56 ahead with 59 remaining. You'll never
:30:10. > :30:16.really comfortable when you playing against Higgins. Looking at where
:30:17. > :30:32.the balls are, the black is obviously out of commission. I still
:30:33. > :30:46.fancy Liang winning this frame. Higgins things that might have been
:30:47. > :30:48.a push. He asks the referee. . I think he may have a case by the
:30:49. > :31:04.way. It seemed to strike the cue ball
:31:05. > :31:10.twice there. Difficult to judge from a distance. And John will absolutely
:31:11. > :31:33.love that shot because he has flicked the black hacking to play --
:31:34. > :31:41.love that shot because he has back into. APPLAUSE. That did not
:31:42. > :32:00.work out in John's favour. That was a fantastic shot from Liang. And a
:32:01. > :32:17.great long pot from Liang. Liang does take Higgins back again. And we
:32:18. > :32:24.are all square, it is 4-4. We can show you this as John comes to the
:32:25. > :32:33.table. Just before that he looked at the referee and said that was not
:32:34. > :32:57.the right call. It did not make that much of a difference. Effectively
:32:58. > :33:05.the best-of-3 now. The long pot has been excellent from both players.
:33:06. > :33:18.Normally we say that 65 or 75% is very good but both are in the 80s.
:33:19. > :33:24.That was a much better shot than it looked. In between both colours and
:33:25. > :33:36.what you don't want to do is hit both of those with that shot. Just
:33:37. > :33:47.past the brown. Perfect. Not a bad chance, this. Three or four Mac red
:33:48. > :34:12.the available -- three or four red balls available.
:34:13. > :34:25.Everytime he has had first chance in a frame, he has made his opponent
:34:26. > :34:41.pay. I bet it will go in the same pocket. A little screw shot. Just
:34:42. > :34:52.deliberately leaving it low. Which way would you play this? Would you
:34:53. > :34:54.always favour the topspin? Perfect. Sometimes you have a choice with
:34:55. > :35:09.those but it comes with experience looking at the pack where the red
:35:10. > :35:14.Czar and -- where the red balls are. I am not surprised he is having
:35:15. > :35:33.that cue ball cleaned. At first glance it doesn't look like
:35:34. > :35:41.there is much else so he will need a good angle on the blue. Or he could
:35:42. > :35:46.play for another colour. A half ball on the green would be ideal to go
:35:47. > :35:54.into the bunch. There is a gap between the pink and red. He has
:35:55. > :35:59.played for the blue. It looks to be too straight to going directly. He
:36:00. > :36:03.needs to get it in that gap between the pink and the red on the right.
:36:04. > :36:20.Just go in there and hope you get some thing from that. And that will
:36:21. > :36:27.do. Absolutely perfect. He must have been delighted to see that. This is
:36:28. > :36:35.really top-class stuff. Opportunity to play a little cannon. If he plays
:36:36. > :36:55.on that one he will be on the loose red on the right. That is the one.
:36:56. > :37:07.Just come back a couple of inches. It has just gone slightly wrong,
:37:08. > :37:13.that cannon. Both of the race that he is on is slightly left and just
:37:14. > :37:29.off straight. He is taking the more difficult one. APPLAUSE. And that
:37:30. > :37:35.should be the shot that wincing the frame. The balls are beautifully
:37:36. > :37:41.spread now and the way he scored this afternoon you would have to be
:37:42. > :37:47.thinking for all the world it will be 5-4 to John Higgins. Absolutely
:37:48. > :37:55.superb cue ball control, all afternoon. Heavy duty scoring and by
:37:56. > :38:03.far the best match of the tournament. The frames that he is
:38:04. > :38:10.losing other ones where safety is involved and they are a bit
:38:11. > :39:08.scrappy. Whenever John get in first in a frame it has been game over.
:39:09. > :39:11.I said at the start of the match that could be three or four
:39:12. > :39:29.centuries. I was expecting them to come from the same player. It looks
:39:30. > :39:37.like it could happen. APPLAUSE. Just a wonderful player with such a high
:39:38. > :39:49.standard today. The quality of the break and the scoring is absolutely
:39:50. > :40:26.exemplary. No reason why he will not go on to make another century.
:40:27. > :40:32.Incredible stuff. He will not be too bothered about that. He has
:40:33. > :41:09.established himself and it is Higgins who wins it and goes 5-4
:41:10. > :41:16.ahead. APPLAUSE. It has been a wonderful afternoon's display of top
:41:17. > :41:20.class break-building. You can sit with the boys are saying about how
:41:21. > :41:33.it is very exciting down to the final frame. Every match is a
:41:34. > :41:49.different story, doesn't it? Can he cut that into the middle pocket. It
:41:50. > :42:00.will be pretty thin if he can. Yes, he is taking it on. No guarantee
:42:01. > :42:21.with the cue ball will finish. He will settle for that. APPLAUSE. What
:42:22. > :42:26.a shot that was! No idea where the cue ball was going to finish but it
:42:27. > :42:36.has a beautiful angled down to the red -- angle. Obviously a long way
:42:37. > :43:00.to go in the rest of this frame but it is nice to get the first chance.
:43:01. > :43:05.Slightly overscrewed that one. A testament to how good his cue ball
:43:06. > :43:11.is. We thought that was a bad shot. Off and you follow one bad shot with
:43:12. > :43:16.another. The good thing is that the pink has gone up to the green spot
:43:17. > :43:31.and teasing get an angle on the blue here with a huge target on the
:43:32. > :43:36.reds. Absolutely perfect. He could not have picked up the cue ball and
:43:37. > :43:49.placed it with his hand any better. A little bit of luck required. And
:43:50. > :43:53.that is just wondrous play. He has hit that beautifully with great
:43:54. > :44:10.control and that could not have gone any better. Open up like a bunch of
:44:11. > :44:17.flowers -- opened. There has been a few times when ever he has got into
:44:18. > :44:23.first visit he has won the frame. The way these reds have opened up he
:44:24. > :44:34.will be very disappointed not to win the match at this visit. Can see all
:44:35. > :44:42.of his wonderful qualities -- you can. Another one to top off the list
:44:43. > :44:48.is his way of finishing matches. He is particularly adept at that. Give
:44:49. > :44:57.him a sniff of the winning line and he is usually straight across it.
:44:58. > :45:04.Just slightly lost the cue ball there. If he can run through and
:45:05. > :45:16.missed that rate it will be all right. He could not but just had a
:45:17. > :45:22.little flick on the red as it hit the cue ball. No problem with the
:45:23. > :45:36.pot of course but he has to get through that gap of the five reds.
:45:37. > :45:48.He got an absolute monster kick. Can you believe it? This was practically
:45:49. > :45:52.game over if he got the black ear. You can see it jump off the table --
:45:53. > :46:46.here. APPLAUSE. That is the view that
:46:47. > :46:49.Liang has. He has played a nice shot there with those two reds on the
:46:50. > :47:05.right-hand side. Could not have hit that any better. He must've been
:47:06. > :47:10.fearing the worst when he was sitting in the chair watching John
:47:11. > :47:15.Higgins go about that break. Sometimes with a little bit of luck
:47:16. > :47:25.and that was it with his opponent getting that horrendous kick. Here
:47:26. > :47:34.you go it just jumped in the air and takes the ball wide. And it has left
:47:35. > :47:36.a chance Liang. We are right near the business end of this match and
:47:37. > :48:02.there is a lot more treasure then there was a moment before. --
:48:03. > :48:06.pressure. He has taken the opportunity to flip those three
:48:07. > :48:11.rents because they were in a line and none of them were pottable. Good
:48:12. > :48:37.thinking there. He finished at a slightly awkward
:48:38. > :48:45.angle. The pink is straight and it is just a matter of good cueing with
:48:46. > :48:51.the cue ball. Not as easy with the rest, though. We will watch that
:48:52. > :49:02.left a middle pocket but he hit that good. He had batted very well. He
:49:03. > :49:13.secured that one. He could not have set that up any better. Right away
:49:14. > :49:20.through this match, John has gone ahead and Liang is paid him back. --
:49:21. > :49:43.has. Is going to need one of the treaty
:49:44. > :49:58.reds if he is going to win this frame in this visit -- tricky.
:49:59. > :50:02.Not the best angle on the black here. He
:50:03. > :50:08.Not the best angle on the black to the right centre just next to the
:50:09. > :50:18.pink. It will be interesting to see how he
:50:19. > :50:27.goes about getting into this position. Sometimes you can't think
:50:28. > :50:38.straight and add up in the situations. He will know that it
:50:39. > :50:52.should give him the frame. There is an interesting shot he has played.
:50:53. > :51:15.Is much more difficult now with this pink -- it is. He did not quite
:51:16. > :51:21.clear it 100%. A chance for John to play a really good safety here. If
:51:22. > :51:40.they can get the red somewhere in the middle of the table. Not his
:51:41. > :51:56.best. This thread goes to that corner -- red. The way his long
:51:57. > :52:13.potting shots of gone to date, Liang, you would not put it past
:52:14. > :52:33.him. Now here is a test. Guaranteed to be on the black. APPLAUSE. He may
:52:34. > :52:52.follow that cue ball little bit too far past that red. You can certainly
:52:53. > :53:02.be in the driving seat here. Look at the cueing on this. He will maybe
:53:03. > :53:21.try to take the green off the cushion here. Great shot. He has the
:53:22. > :53:37.upper hand in this frame again. Here is a swerve coming up. APPLAUSE. He
:53:38. > :53:48.almost got away with that. I don't think John can pot this. If he can
:53:49. > :53:58.bring the rate up and down and put the ball in. I did not think that
:53:59. > :54:22.was cut a ball from my point of view. No prizes for guessing where
:54:23. > :54:49.it would they after this one. That was some thin cut. Some hesitation
:54:50. > :54:54.from John. I was surprised he didn't even look at potting the yellow
:54:55. > :55:06.there. I suppose he would have any easier chance and Liang could get
:55:07. > :55:16.away with this. Is not just about hitting them, it is about can you
:55:17. > :55:23.get them safe? -- it is. I would not be too disappointed. It is a natural
:55:24. > :56:02.angle to take the cue ball up towards the green. With a bit of
:56:03. > :56:19.topspin. There was a chance. APPLAUSE. He needs to make sure that
:56:20. > :56:54.he does not contact the blue. That is why he played a little bit to the
:56:55. > :56:59.side. APPLAUSE. That was a great pot and I think he has come absolutely
:57:00. > :57:02.old straight on the green and there is nothing he can do with this other
:57:03. > :57:25.than drop it in and stand for a very tough round. But you cannot miss the
:57:26. > :57:39.green! What a chant the John Higgins. -- chance. He needs an
:57:40. > :57:48.angle on the blue to get back onto the pink and an angle on the pink to
:57:49. > :57:54.get ack to the black. In fact, he does not need the black, so one good
:57:55. > :58:01.shot here and he has come a lovely angle. A nice screw back here, it
:58:02. > :58:19.will just screw right back onto the ball cushion. And John Higgins has
:58:20. > :58:25.finally gone over the line. Brilliant scoring and an amazing
:58:26. > :58:31.result for John Higgins. Liang played fantastically well. It was
:58:32. > :58:38.John Higgins who got through and he won six frames to four in a
:58:39. > :58:43.classic. Many congratulations to John Higgins, what a fantastic
:58:44. > :58:48.match. He will now play the current Crucible champion on Friday evening.
:58:49. > :58:52.That is it from us and we're back on one o'clock. What a great match we
:58:53. > :59:01.have for you. By for now.