:01:09. > :01:21.It is a great tournament. I have won it before. I have maybe won the
:01:22. > :01:27.world and the UK, the next is winning the Masters. I would like to
:01:28. > :01:31.have won it more times. I never seem to play well in advanced it is a
:01:32. > :01:35.tough draw. John is one of the greats of our
:01:36. > :01:43.game. He has been struggling. He is more than good enough to turn it
:01:44. > :01:47.around. Tough player. Mark is one of the favourites for every event. He
:01:48. > :01:55.will be favourite going into this match, rightly so.
:01:56. > :02:02.We already have one semifinalist. This afternoon, Shaun Murphy came
:02:03. > :02:11.from behind to beat Marco Fu and reaches third consecutive Masters
:02:12. > :02:14.semifinal. Murphy will play the winner of tonight's match in the
:02:15. > :02:22.first semifinal on Saturday afternoon. A great comeback.
:02:23. > :02:26.Delighted to say that I've been joined by Stephen Hendry who will be
:02:27. > :02:31.watching this evening's match with me. You were in the commentary box
:02:32. > :02:33.this afternoon, another fantastic fightback by Shaun Murphy.
:02:34. > :02:38.Positivity was the key to his victory? His concentration was poor
:02:39. > :02:46.at the beginning of the match, he looked quite flat in his chair but
:02:47. > :02:52.it took 4-1 behind to wake up. This evening's match, Mark Selby says he
:02:53. > :02:56.has to take his chances against John Higgins. His first four frames of
:02:57. > :02:59.his third round he was like that but then it was a game of two halves, he
:03:00. > :03:03.played poorly after that. John Higgins is one of the biggest names
:03:04. > :03:14.in the game so Mark Selby will be up for it. Selby also suggest that John
:03:15. > :03:20.Higgins is still a prospect. If I was John, I would be up for this
:03:21. > :03:25.match. I know you don't like making predictions but who do you think? I
:03:26. > :03:29.have a sneaking suspicion for my fellow Scotsman. The players are
:03:30. > :03:35.standing by, let's join our MC, Rob Walker. Good evening, ladies and,
:03:36. > :03:40.what's a night we have got in store for you here at the title-macro, a
:03:41. > :03:43.money metal matchup between two men who have contested the world
:03:44. > :03:49.championship final in 2007 and in between them, have lifted this
:03:50. > :03:58.prestigious Invitational Trophy five times. Sit back, relax and enjoy.
:03:59. > :04:02.Please welcome first of all, a player making his 20th consecutive
:04:03. > :04:07.appearance at the Masters. Winner of this one in 1999 he is without
:04:08. > :04:12.doubt, one of the finest sportsmen Scotland has ever reduced. Four
:04:13. > :04:13.times champion of the world, it is the Wizard of Wishaw, is John
:04:14. > :04:19.Higgins. JOHN HIGGINS - MUSIC: "Pencil Full
:04:20. > :04:43.Of Lead" by Paolo Nutini. And his opponent, a player who has
:04:44. > :04:47.won three of the last six Masters titles. He came through that six -
:04:48. > :04:51.five thriller against Mark Davis proving once again he rarely loses
:04:52. > :04:57.his cool on the big occasion. Shanghai Masters champion in 2011,
:04:58. > :05:00.he took the UK crown in 2012, he is the defending Masters champion, he
:05:01. > :05:02.is the Jester from Leicester, Mark Selby!
:05:03. > :05:30.Another terrific atmosphere hair at Alexander Palace. The last time
:05:31. > :05:34.these two played each other was in 2010 with Higgins coming out on top
:05:35. > :05:38.in the Welsh Open which he went on to win. A place in the semifinals
:05:39. > :05:49.against Shaun Murphy awaits them. We have a very good evening to our
:05:50. > :05:53.commentators Dennis Taylor... And John Parrott.
:05:54. > :06:12.John won the toss and has elected to break off. 20 consecutive
:06:13. > :06:19.appearances in the Masters, John. That is some going. That is a high
:06:20. > :06:24.level of consistency. Think the one word that would describe this
:06:25. > :06:28.encounter this evening would be" battle" because these two players
:06:29. > :06:34.certainly know their way around the snooker table. Tactically, they have
:06:35. > :06:38.seen everything but you feel it is about who scores this evening. That
:06:39. > :06:42.is the key for me, can you score? If one of them gets a chance, the way
:06:43. > :06:48.the name-7-macro have opened up here, they might just get it with a
:06:49. > :06:58.frame-winning effort. -- with the reds.
:06:59. > :07:06.Sit still, please. Sit still. Just a bit of movement in the crowd,
:07:07. > :07:12.everybody settling down to what could be an epic battle.
:07:13. > :07:24.That is worth another look, terrific cueing. That does your confidence
:07:25. > :07:35.the power of good. Can you put your camera away,
:07:36. > :07:44.please? The buck is clear into one corner pocket. -- the black is
:07:45. > :07:46.clear. John Higgins could have things in the clear around the black
:07:47. > :08:01.spot area in a few turns. I couldn't believe that statistic
:08:02. > :08:06.will at the biographies, they haven't played since 2010. When you
:08:07. > :08:09.consider how good they are and at the business end of the tournament,
:08:10. > :08:27.it is amazing that they haven't had an encounter since then.
:08:28. > :08:35.John has been slipping down the rankings somewhat. Another 12 at the
:08:36. > :08:54.moment. He is up against the world number two.
:08:55. > :08:58.He has been experimenting with a few different keys but he seems to be
:08:59. > :09:03.very comfortable with this one. Guess, it is amazing to think he had
:09:04. > :09:07.a spell for seven months or so where he never got past the last 16 in any
:09:08. > :09:12.event he was in. Somebody of his class, that is amazing. He does seem
:09:13. > :09:19.settled with this and already this is a good start. He seems to be
:09:20. > :09:20.hitting the ball quite nicely. He got through his first match against
:09:21. > :10:02.you at -- against Stuart Bingham. This might just get one red, one he
:10:03. > :10:18.will follow through. He hasn't really developed it but he
:10:19. > :10:22.has picked up or picked off all the easy reds. Starting to get a little
:10:23. > :10:35.bit more difficult now. Great technique, he always has
:10:36. > :10:38.habitat. I remember practising with him when he first turned
:10:39. > :10:51.professional, used to play at Stephen Hendry's club in Stirling.
:10:52. > :10:54.He achieved an awful lot. You talk about his technique, watch him use
:10:55. > :10:59.the cue when he plays, he lets the cue do the work with a good
:11:00. > :11:04.backswing. He comes quite a way back. All the time, plenty of work
:11:05. > :11:14.on the cue ball. He will come right back. Through. No danger of having a
:11:15. > :11:21.lack of power. If he is dead straight on this red, he will have
:11:22. > :11:29.the stun run-through shots which is one of the nicest in the game.
:11:30. > :11:40.He has got back up to have a think about it.
:11:41. > :11:53.He still played that delicate little stun shot. But this is a key shot
:11:54. > :11:58.coming up. Just looking to see if that red would go.
:11:59. > :12:05.He may have to put a trace of side. I would rather go into the bunch. He
:12:06. > :12:06.should avoid the cannon on the red on the top cushion here. I think he
:12:07. > :12:18.will just miss that. He decided to split the pack
:12:19. > :12:23.instead. It doesn't look like good at first glance. He couldn't have
:12:24. > :12:27.played much better. He just caught that read. If you missed that first
:12:28. > :12:32.read, he would have split them perfectly. He split them but he has
:12:33. > :12:39.finished awkwardly. Only a couple of pots away from securing the frame.
:12:40. > :12:45.When you are playing a cannon, you're never sure what will happen
:12:46. > :13:00.he only needed a few more pots. A bit unlucky there.
:13:01. > :13:08.He has got a good lead of 58 points but he is having a look to see if he
:13:09. > :13:11.will play this red, the cutback. The way the table is set up, there is
:13:12. > :13:16.only the one red behind the black that is difficult so he has to be
:13:17. > :13:19.careful here. A lead is nice of that size but it is not insurmountable
:13:20. > :13:29.the way the table is set up so he needs to be careful.
:13:30. > :13:47.A very good start for the Wizard of Wishaw. But he would have liked to
:13:48. > :14:07.have won the frame with that visit. He needs a bit more insurance here,
:14:08. > :14:11.he could do with another red safe. Otherwise he has got a shot to
:14:12. > :14:13.nothing to play here but the brown and green are a good target to get
:14:14. > :14:35.in behind. That is a handy little flick. The
:14:36. > :14:37.next shot is difficult here, with hampered cueing. Hitting down on
:14:38. > :14:58.bridging over. REFEREE: Foul and a miss. He got a
:14:59. > :15:02.bit of unwanted side, it's worked past the red. As he delivers the
:15:03. > :15:08.cue, probably caught it off centre, swerve it slightly away from the red
:15:09. > :15:22.and hit the black full ball and... Golden chance for John Higgins.
:15:23. > :15:30.Sometimes when you leave the ball in that position, it is better than a
:15:31. > :15:38.snooker. Very much so. Especially on these fine cloths, a bit of and
:15:39. > :15:40.unwanted side. It can go off. That little flick off the green was very
:15:41. > :16:35.useful. Here is the shot John played off the
:16:36. > :16:47.red on the table. This little flick of -- off the green. Current on the
:16:48. > :16:55.brown. That little nudge. It cueing awkward.
:16:56. > :17:03.It looks like he is hitting the ball pretty well. He hasn't made a
:17:04. > :17:08.mistake, he was just unlucky with the split on the reds when he broke
:17:09. > :17:13.down on 58. APPLAUSE.
:17:14. > :17:37.As they say in Lancashire, he is in fine fettle.
:17:38. > :17:50.Mark has not had a go at a shot, really. He got the awkward safety
:17:51. > :17:55.bridging over the brown. Oh! Mark Selby stays in his seat, what a
:17:56. > :17:56.start for John Higgins, a break of 58 and 39, he wins the opening
:17:57. > :18:04.frame. John Higgins picking up where he
:18:05. > :18:08.left off in his first-round match in beating Stuart Bingham. A solid
:18:09. > :18:14.start by your fellow countrymen. This is the sort of new expect from
:18:15. > :18:18.him. He has although the s almost been forgotten about. He is still
:18:19. > :18:21.one of the best two or three players in the world. He has had problems
:18:22. > :18:25.with his cube so he has not performed consistently but the long
:18:26. > :18:29.ready but it was superb and as you expect, practically won the frame in
:18:30. > :18:33.one visit. It is interesting coming into this tournament that he has
:18:34. > :18:37.said to the press that he is coming in as underdog. Nobody is expecting
:18:38. > :18:43.John Higgins to win this and it seems to suit him. It will be in the
:18:44. > :18:47.back of his mind thinking that he wants to prove these people wrong,
:18:48. > :18:51.he is one of the best people in the world and he is one of the few
:18:52. > :18:56.people ranked against Ronnie O'Sullivan. I wonder if he is fired
:18:57. > :18:58.up by your tip? Yellow marker I wouldn't want to jinx him. Back to
:18:59. > :19:08.the action. A few people may be underestimating
:19:09. > :19:15.John Higgins but Mark Selby will not be one of them. He knows how good a
:19:16. > :19:17.player he is and if John finds form, as the first frame showed. He is in
:19:18. > :19:32.for a real tough night. Just a few latecomers arriving.
:19:33. > :20:02.Finding their way to their seats. Shouldn't be a problem, just a
:20:03. > :20:09.little bit more pace. Find the same line.
:20:10. > :20:21.Just bring it up, Paul, I just thought it was behind the baulk. I
:20:22. > :20:29.thought it was just behind the baulk line. I think you probably have to
:20:30. > :20:36.play with a bit of a touch of side. He is never that far out.
:20:37. > :21:24.Maybe not so much as that, but he is OK.
:21:25. > :21:33.They have had a couple of classic encounters. 2009, John Higgins beat
:21:34. > :21:36.Mark Selby in the World Championship quarterfinal match and it was one of
:21:37. > :21:40.the best matches I've ever seen at the Crucible. Mark Selby, I said it
:21:41. > :21:44.afterwards and I stand by it, the best performance I have ever seen by
:21:45. > :21:49.anyone at the Crucible to get beaten. He was magnificent in that
:21:50. > :21:53.match and John Higgins from 12-10 behind, unbelievable performance to
:21:54. > :22:01.knock him out. So some great matches and of course, on the year that John
:22:02. > :22:03.became champion, he beat Mark as well. A bit of history even if it is
:22:04. > :22:31.not recent. It was never going to be easy to get
:22:32. > :22:38.back down the table. And he caught the first red... Certainly not as he
:22:39. > :22:44.intended. He didn't want to hit it as thin as that.
:22:45. > :22:52.He missed the red completely in frame one and that was not a great
:22:53. > :22:56.shot by Mark Selby. Against John Higgins, tactically you will have to
:22:57. > :22:57.be up to scratch because he puts you in positions on the table but are
:22:58. > :23:17.lots of trouble. All covering each other into the
:23:18. > :23:31.left corner. That might be a useful flick. No,
:23:32. > :23:47.not quite. Just making sure that he wasn't
:23:48. > :24:04.going to plant this red and send one over the right corner.
:24:05. > :24:11.If it does develop into a tactical match, it will be very interesting
:24:12. > :24:12.to see who will win that battle because they are both so good in
:24:13. > :24:23.that department. I think a lot of the matches that
:24:24. > :24:25.Mark Selby has been playing and winning, tactically he has been
:24:26. > :24:30.better than some of his opponents but it would be hard pushed to be
:24:31. > :24:33.better than this man in the tactical department so that is why I thought
:24:34. > :24:48.the scoring was important for Mark Selby at the start of the programme.
:24:49. > :24:54.Straight away, have a look at that shot he has played there. He has
:24:55. > :24:59.blocked off the escape route down the right-hand side of the table.
:25:00. > :25:02.And in the edition the black is in, it makes it difficult to get down
:25:03. > :25:15.the left side. He can just see the edge of the bunch of reds.
:25:16. > :25:28.Wow. What a difference that has made. If he doesn't finish behind
:25:29. > :25:32.that Green Day, there is a red on the right-hand side that is
:25:33. > :25:37.absolutely lovely. He did hold his hand up and apologise, he was trying
:25:38. > :25:38.to get on the baulk question. I don't know about that apologising,
:25:39. > :25:48.never did me any good! He has to be so precise with this.
:25:49. > :25:52.Twice across the table to land on the red and it is just to the right
:25:53. > :25:58.of the two on the question here. But he has to be spot on.
:25:59. > :26:15.What judgement. If he slips past that, he leaves the other red along
:26:16. > :26:18.the cushion and that was judged to perfection.
:26:19. > :26:44.That shot was no surprise. He thinks he has found his way out of trouble.
:26:45. > :27:00.It is not bad. This is definitely an example of
:27:01. > :27:09.chess with balls, this evening, with these two.
:27:10. > :27:15.They are probably the most difficult safety shots when the red is tied to
:27:16. > :27:26.the cushion. To hit it then is so difficult. And he hit it much
:27:27. > :27:33.thicker. -- to hit it thin. Without though what sort of form he is in,
:27:34. > :27:48.Mark Selby. He has not had a pot yet. This is his first attempt.
:27:49. > :28:04.Look at those three reds, the way they surround the black spot area.
:28:05. > :28:06.No use potting the black with the reds situated there. The pink will
:28:07. > :28:31.be OK. It is early in this match, I know,
:28:32. > :28:37.but I think Mark Selby Nice to score off this chance. An error from John
:28:38. > :28:45.with his excellent safety but he has to establish himself in this. The
:28:46. > :28:50.pink wasn't available into the left middle pocket he has got to the
:28:51. > :28:51.black but that will be tied up with those three reds so it is not
:28:52. > :29:04.straightforward just yet. The red that is on the extreme right
:29:05. > :29:08.of the table is a problem, I don't know whether the pink will pass
:29:09. > :29:12.that. He could play in reds in the middle off this black if he wanted
:29:13. > :29:16.to but he decided to play the cannon. The top one definitely goes.
:29:17. > :29:23.If the black potted after this, would be perfect. I dedicate well.
:29:24. > :29:48.-- I don't think it will. Just a little flick of the black. I
:29:49. > :29:53.think that red that is next to the black spot is still a problem. It is
:29:54. > :29:58.not quite high enough to remove in a minute. Things to think about. Not
:29:59. > :30:22.straightforward. Well, how many times have we seen
:30:23. > :30:34.that? He took his eyes off the pot will stop --. He was more concerned
:30:35. > :30:52.with the cue ball -- with the black than the cue ball.
:30:53. > :31:03.Well, he almost missed that. I did not think that was going in. Now it
:31:04. > :31:08.is John's turn for a scoring opportunity and a chance to apply
:31:09. > :31:14.more pressure. He is already leading. He has just seen his
:31:15. > :31:25.opponent make a mistake. Can he keep him in the chair?
:31:26. > :31:32.It is far from easy with the black out of commission. The pink is still
:31:33. > :31:45.awkward. It is available into the middle left pocket. Two reds
:31:46. > :31:51.blocking the pink into the right corner. That is why John is having a
:31:52. > :32:00.look around, to see what he can manufacture. Yes, that red on the
:32:01. > :32:04.right has been a problem. I am pretty sure Mark Selby would have
:32:05. > :32:11.played on the reds in the middle and would not have gone near the black
:32:12. > :32:19.for a few shots. He might just be OK. He has got a dead straight red
:32:20. > :32:25.into the corner. He has very little to do to leave the pink. He may be
:32:26. > :32:47.able to pot the back one of these two reds. Careless from John.
:32:48. > :33:23.There is a bit of tension out there at the moment.
:33:24. > :33:28.The pink is in the open. Not a bad chance. Both players missing fairly
:33:29. > :34:57.comfortable shots. If John had punished Mark after he
:34:58. > :35:05.missed that black, it could have been a telling part of the match.
:35:06. > :35:16.OK, the second frame, several left but these things can make a
:35:17. > :35:21.difference. Yes, I think it was so important that it just looked like
:35:22. > :35:32.he had not settled at all. Keeping the pressure on. The chances gone
:35:33. > :35:38.now for John. He will be sitting in his chair thinking that this frame
:35:39. > :35:42.is gone as well. If he is dead straight on this he will hold the
:35:43. > :35:52.spot. The pink will go on the blackspot. -- black spot. The
:35:53. > :35:57.referee checking. It will not make a great deal of difference. It would
:35:58. > :36:10.not have been a bad thing to hold the spot. Surely he is not snooker
:36:11. > :36:15.at? -- snookered. You could tell by the marker that it would go on its
:36:16. > :36:16.spot. But he may have to play this with a little touch of right-hand
:36:17. > :36:33.side to make the angle. I am just wondering if he will get
:36:34. > :36:41.the cannon on the red. If you place this with a little bit of side, you
:36:42. > :36:56.cannot storm this. -- storm. He is putting loads of right-hand side on
:36:57. > :37:03.this. It made the angle. Good shot. He just made the situation little
:37:04. > :37:10.bit more difficult there. This is pretty good from Mark Selby. He hit
:37:11. > :37:39.that red full ball. A clever shot. The blue will make absolutely
:37:40. > :38:10.certain. What happened there? OK, he needs a
:38:11. > :38:15.snooker. But he only needs one snooker. Let's have a look. The blue
:38:16. > :39:00.jumped slightly. John has a look at Mark. He has
:39:01. > :39:08.conceded. The early break of 42 paved the way for Mark Selby and he
:39:09. > :39:14.takes the frame. We are all square. Stephen, what is going on out there?
:39:15. > :39:23.Yes, Mark Selby did well to create a good chance. Then he missed a
:39:24. > :39:29.comparable black. This will annoy John because he is experienced. He
:39:30. > :39:37.knows the importance of capitalising on people's misses. The boys in,
:39:38. > :39:43.Terry were saying, careless, it is a bit tense. What is happening? --
:39:44. > :39:48.commentary. When you're playing a good player, you know how important
:39:49. > :39:51.it is to get a good start. John will know the importance of taking
:39:52. > :39:58.advantage. He will not get many chances. Neither player will get
:39:59. > :40:07.many chances. Each easiness is very important. You get the feeling that
:40:08. > :40:11.they need to settle down? Yes. I think they have tremendous respect
:40:12. > :40:15.for each other. They know if they miss easy balls, it is going to be
:40:16. > :40:38.frame. I don't think they are really tense.
:40:39. > :40:42.They are both cueing well. John had breaks of 58 and 39 in the opening
:40:43. > :40:48.frame. Mark never really had a chance. It was just the easy one
:40:49. > :40:51.that John missed. As Stephen Hendry says, at this level it is the easy
:40:52. > :41:26.ones that can cause so much damage. REFEREE: it is touching ball, but
:41:27. > :41:46.only that one. Touching ball.
:41:47. > :41:51.Even though it is touching ball, there is no path back up the table.
:41:52. > :42:00.It is a bit of a stalemate at the moment. I think the balls may be
:42:01. > :42:07.re-racked. The referee is looking at both players. John is going to do
:42:08. > :42:17.the same again. What do you think? Touching ball again. Yes, slightly
:42:18. > :42:23.different, this one. You can play away and around the angles with this
:42:24. > :42:32.one, if you have got the spider. It depends on whether he can cue this.
:42:33. > :42:41.He has to be careful. I have seen players pull that spider away and
:42:42. > :43:12.move everything. I was a bit premature there, wasn't I?
:43:13. > :43:22.Not a good sign for John. He knocked a cracking red in, in the opening
:43:23. > :43:23.frame. That was a little bit easier. These are shots that knock your
:43:24. > :44:40.confidence. How costly will that be? Well played. Nicely controlled. He
:44:41. > :44:52.has got a lovely angle if he wants to go into the pack. Hopefully that
:44:53. > :45:23.is not touching the red. Good news and bad news on that shot.
:45:24. > :45:39.The red on the right-hand side has blocked the path to the black.
:45:40. > :45:50.It will have to be a long blue if he wants to keep this going. Not a
:45:51. > :46:09.straightforward part -- pot and position. This needs good cueing. A
:46:10. > :46:13.bit of pressure on this. Well cued. Worth another look. He is a bit
:46:14. > :46:25.closer to the cushion with the cue ball than he would have liked. This
:46:26. > :46:31.tests your cue action. He cannot get his hand on the table, having the
:46:32. > :46:37.bridge on the cushion, as you can see. But he has got away with it. He
:46:38. > :46:47.has been very fortunate. Very fortunate. He has hit that red that
:46:48. > :46:56.badly, he has lost the cue ball as well. He hit that a little bit hard,
:46:57. > :47:03.didn't he? I am wondering if John can get in behind the brown. Not a
:47:04. > :48:06.bad effort. That is very unusual from John
:48:07. > :48:11.Higgins. Such an easy safety shot to push that red up and down. If he has
:48:12. > :48:16.got away with it, he has been very fortunate. That should not have been
:48:17. > :49:18.anywhere near the green. Most unlike him.
:49:19. > :49:32.He took that pot on. Always with the intention of getting the cue ball
:49:33. > :49:42.down into the baulk area. Not bad. Markers got away with that. Not
:49:43. > :49:48.half! If the red finishes anywhere else, he can put in all sorts of
:49:49. > :49:52.trouble. He could even have left a pot on. Where it has finished, it
:49:53. > :49:58.could not be more awkward. The trouble is, John does not want to
:49:59. > :50:07.play away to the other side of the cushion because it leaves Mark Selby
:50:08. > :50:19.with an easy shot. It never reached the red!
:50:20. > :50:41.Have it put back! He is not that delicate for such a big man! You can
:50:42. > :50:50.have a fresh air shot at snooker. How he didn't hit the red...
:50:51. > :50:56.Mark did not have much of an alternative really to play away. It
:50:57. > :51:07.should be easy for John to stun this read down the table. -- red. Yes.
:51:08. > :51:15.Are you a little bit surprised at the shot he played? Yes, it was as
:51:16. > :51:21.if Mark was thinking he did not want to get bogged down. He laid off a
:51:22. > :51:31.little bit. It was a poor shot to leave this available. Let's have
:51:32. > :51:39.another look at it. It is a problem now. There is no red near a cushion
:51:40. > :51:43.to land on. If he gets out of this, he will be doing very well indeed.
:51:44. > :52:01.If anybody can, Mark Selby can. He was in a real hole there, Mark.
:52:02. > :52:05.Self-inflicted, that one. John did not like the pot, so it was not as
:52:06. > :52:16.appetising as it looked from the commentary box.
:52:17. > :52:42.That is an absolutely brilliant shot. Brilliant. We saw one earlier
:52:43. > :52:51.in the match from John Higgins, and that was the equal of it. What a
:52:52. > :53:00.shot that was. Good eyesight from the referee to spot this. Let's have
:53:01. > :53:15.a look. It almost curled on and then came off again. It was amazing way
:53:16. > :53:23.that went. It must be a finger mark, Dennis.
:53:24. > :53:31.I will tell you what, he definitely does not need glasses if he can spot
:53:32. > :53:39.that. That was amazing. Well done, Yan. I suppose the best thing for
:53:40. > :53:41.Mark Selby is he did not leave it touching ball either. Another tricky
:53:42. > :54:02.one for John. We are expecting some classical
:54:03. > :54:08.tactical stuff from these two players. We have certainly had it so
:54:09. > :54:22.far. Some of the escapes have been absolutely top drawer.
:54:23. > :54:29.This is a thin one. He will try to get over behind the green. He could
:54:30. > :54:36.not do that. This is the best he could do from that position. The
:54:37. > :54:40.target is the green for the safety shot. Just watch John Higgins's cue
:54:41. > :54:49.ball here. He will play this with left-hand side, swing it over
:54:50. > :54:53.towards the baulk colours. It will be interesting to see which red he
:54:54. > :55:04.takes on. He has got a couple of options.
:55:05. > :55:49.There is no way Mark could get over towards the green from the position
:55:50. > :56:00.that he was in. John can do. He cannot really take the pot on. Has
:56:01. > :56:10.he hit it harder this time? Not far away. Oh, he is getting close, isn't
:56:11. > :56:13.he? Yes, it is one of these situations were Mark Selby knows he
:56:14. > :56:18.cannot play a shot to get around there as well. The only shot he can
:56:19. > :56:23.do is leaving John an opportunity to get behind that green and brown. It
:56:24. > :56:29.is the way the bowls are rolling at the minute. John is in the
:56:30. > :56:38.ascendancy in this particular tactical battle.
:56:39. > :57:05.Mark Selby is doing very well just to get out of trouble at the moment.
:57:06. > :57:12.Well, those good safety shots from John Higgins have paid off. He kept
:57:13. > :57:20.putting mark in trouble and Mark could not find the gap that time. A
:57:21. > :57:30.bit of a chance for John. Black is off its spot. The pink is at the
:57:31. > :57:36.other end of the table. Black will be back on its spot after this shot.
:57:37. > :57:46.A pretty good chance for John Higgins.
:57:47. > :57:57.Oh, my goodness me. What have you done there, John? I cannot believe
:57:58. > :58:02.he has played that shot. He was trying to come through the gap for
:58:03. > :58:08.the red and he has overhit it. I don't think he is on any ball. He
:58:09. > :58:27.will be absolutely kicking himself. What a chance he has let go begging.
:58:28. > :58:34.And that is where we end our live coverage on BBC Two. If you press
:58:35. > :58:41.your red button, you can continue to enjoy this match. We will be back
:58:42. > :58:44.with highlights at 11:20pm on BBC Two. My thanks to Stephen Hendry.
:58:45. > :58:50.From all of us, bye for now.