World Snooker Championship 2021 – John Higgins swerves upset after comeback against Tian Pengfei

ByBen Snowball

Updated 19/04/2021 at 23:44 GMT

Higgins looked out of sorts for much of his opening test, but discovered his groove at the right time to keep his dream of a fifth world title on track. He was given a helping hand, with Tian Pengfei’s level dropping significantly during the second session as the Chinese player surrendered a three-frame lead.

John Higgins completed a brilliant comeback against Tian Pengfei at the World Championship after rattling off the final six frames to win 10-7.

The four-time champion was staring down a shock early exit after slipping 7-4 behind.

In truth, his recovery was sparked by his opponent’s wastefulness, with Tian making a succession of errors to invite Higgins back into the contest.

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Higgins makes 127 break to seize control of first-round match

But Higgins found his groove when it mattered, moving one frame from victory with a fine 127 break.

The match was paused as it threatened to delay the evening billing, forcing the players to wait wait until Anthony McGill had seen off Ricky Walden to complete the match.

Higgins did not hang around, finishing his recovery with a knock of 135 to book a second-round meeting with either Mark Williams or Sam Craigie.

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