Tour Championship 2022 Final as it happened - Holder Neil Robertson stuns John Higgins to win title
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So seven matches, four deciders and one of the greatest comebacks the game has seen in a major final to sort the title. That wasn't bad, was it? April isn't done spoiling you yet, either; the World Championship starts on the 16th April.
We'll see you then, take care in the meantime.
Tour Championship
Robertson produces amazing fightback to stun Higgins and claim Tour Championship title
8 HOURS AGO
Confetti rains down as Neil holds the trophy over his head. That's 150 grand in the kitty, and what a season he's having; he won the English Open in November, and this year alone he's bagged the Masters, the Players Championship and now the Tour Championship. Take a wild guess who's going to be favourite in Sheffield in two weeks time.
Spare a thought here for John too, who played outstandingly to get to 9-4 and within touching difference of victory. That's the third final he's lost this season in a decider after leading beforehand, and he's also lost nine of his last ten major tournament finals. That's how tough the top end of this sport is these days, even for a genius like John. He will be gutted, and that red in the final frame will be on his mind a while I'm sure. What's also true is that he's one of the form players in the game too, and will have plenty to say in what happens at the Crucible.
Neil Robertson is the 2022 Tour Championship winnerThat is a staggering comeback. Neil is the best player in the world right now, and boy has he proved it. John talks to Rob Walker in the post-match interviews. He's devastated about the missed red in the final frame, and looks as gutted as you'd expect. Neil, as ever in these situations, is a model of humility and calls it a freak result. He's doing himself a disservice there, and John shouldn't be too tough on himself either. John didn't bottle that, Neil went out and won it, applying the pressure that forced mistakes and dishing on demand, from 8-3 down and 9-4 down. That is simply outstanding because he's not overawed someone way down the tour there, he's hooked in one of the greatest players in history.
Robertson 10-9 HigginsJohn pots a red, but snookers himself and concedes. Unbelievably, from 9-4 behind, Neil Robertson has retained his Tour Championship title!
Robertson 9-9 Higgins (72-9)Neil takes the black to drop on frame ball red along the rail and into the bottom left. He plays it deadweight...and it's clean as a whistle! This has been incredible from the Thunder. The pink goes too, and John now needs three snookers to tie. He comes back to the table, what must he be feeling here.
Robertson 9-9 Higgins (49-9)Angles calls Neil one of snooker's great optimists. Even Neil though, 9-4 down to a flying John Higgins, must have thought it was all but done. What must John be thinking? Neil opens the pack a little more and they split well; he also overcomes the distraction of someone using their camera phone in the crowd (timing, well played you!). A bad contact when potting a red doesn't fluster Neil either as he cuts in a black with the rest to go 40 in front. He's on the next red too, and he's so close now to a sensational comeback.
Robertson 9-9 Higgins (18-9)John has never lacked for moxie. He takes on a tough red to the right middle, but it bounces out off the high knuckle. Neil has courage by the crate too, and takes a huge risk on a plant to the bottom right. It needs to be made, and it isn't; but what drama now - John misses a red to the bottom right from short range and he's left Neil an easy starter! Oh my word. He looks rueful and resigned as he slumps in his chair; there's a fair few on here for Neil, whose carefree speed around the table has now dipped as he knows the enormity of this visit. It's 18 and counting so far.
Robertson 9-9 Higgins (0-9)This is why you have some tournaments where it's cream only. This is the seventh match of the Tour Championship, and the fourth one to go to a deciding frame. And look at this - John puts everything into a long red to the bottom right, launching it into the heart of the pocket to drop on the black! He negotiates another difficult red soon after, but he's then missed a black to the bottom left! He hasn't left a red on though, so gets away with it. What a nerve-jangler we've got here.
Robertson 9-9 HigginsThe break ends on 93, but no one really cares at this juncture. Hold on to whatever headwear you've got on, we're going to a final frame shoot out!
Robertson 8-9 Higgins (70-0)There goes frame ball red, and there might be another ton on the way here. Neil is playing this like a computer game now, and has rattled off an improbable five in a row to take us to a decider. This game, eh?
Robertson 8-9 Higgins (53-0)Neil affects a good split on the pack and lands on the blue thereafter. He is getting around the table like he's on a hoverboard now, and in no time at all he's banked another half-century. It just doesn't look like he's going to miss.
Robertson 8-9 Higgins (32-0)What a shot from Neil! After missing an earlier sighter, he creams a long, off-straight red into the bottom right to hold for the black. 'What a ripper!' cries Angles McManus in co-comms on TV. Neil has plugged four reds with blacks so far.
Robertson 8-9 HigginsA 72 for Robertson, who is now one behind with two to play.
Robertson 7-9 Higgins (61-17)Wisely, Neil gets the pink back on its spot and uses it to attack the final four open reds. Two quickly disappear, as does frame ball blue, and he's going to win another one! What a show of grit this is from 9-4 down by the Thunder.
Robertson 7-9 Higgins (31-17)Neil booms into the pack when putting the blue. It's not a clean connection though, and the pink flies into the bottom right to give away six points and leave John on a red. Here's another twist though, as early in his break John misses a red to the bottom left! The white ricochets safe though, but for the first time today it does seem like John is a bit rattled. He misses another red soon after, a difficult straight one long to the bottom right, and almost flukes it into the yellow pocket. Instead Neil gets back in, but there's a lot of work to do with the cue ball with the black and pink far from the reds.
Robertson 7-9 Higgins (10-4)This is so fascinating. Neil won three on the spin to nick the English Open on a decider from John, and needs to do the same now to win the Tour Championship. You sense he's finding his rhythm too. John hasn't lost his, and looks locked in and composed enough to be ready take his chance if he can craft one. The Wizard is no yips merchant. Eyes down then, John needs one and Neil needs three. Here's some drama; Neil glides in a superb long red to start frame 17, but faintly clips the green on his way through baulk and goes in-off. From the D though John can't put away a red to the bottom left, and he's handed Neil an easy starter.
Robertson 7-9 HigginsHe's a scrapper alright. Neil empties the table and he's now won three in a row; he will not give his title up without an almighty fight.
Robertson 6-9 Higgins (57-35)There are two reds left, both on the bottom cushion. John brings out one when potting the black, but leaves himself dead straight down the rail on the other. All he can do is roll it in, and then play safe to baulk. Neil then gets another break when he flukes a near snooker, and in catching the red thin John sends the white straight into the bottom right! The red has gone right over the bottom left as well, and this should be curtains.
Robertson 6-9 Higgins (53-5)John misses a long red to the bottom right, He'd gambled on holding for the black, and he's left Neil in. He adds 14, but when left with a difficult red to keep going he takes it long to the yellow pocket, and leaves it in the jaws! What a reprieve for John, because 9-7 looked certain there. Instead, he's got the chance to get right back into this frame and maybe - maybe - dish for the title.
Robertson 6-9 Higgins (39-5)Well now! After a superb long red to the green pocket to keep going, Neil takes his eye off green to yellow pocket and he's missed it. John can't plug a red to bottom right with the rest thereafter, and Neil then misses a long red to the green pocket and leaves it over the hole. It's getting a bit jittery now. John can only make five, failing to split the pack off the brown, and it's back to baulk.
Robertson 6-9 Higgins (30-0)John misses a red to the green pocket at the start of frame 16, leaving it for Neil who gobbles it up to land on the blue. He's away again, buzzing around the black spot with the white, and if he gets his arm going he could really get the Jaws them playing inside John's head.
Robertson 6-9 HigginsHe needed all six, and there go two of them. A superb knock of 108 from Neil, his third ton of the day, pegs back another frame.
Robertson 5-9 Higgins (54-1)Neil is ticking along nicely here, even potting two reds in one shot, and clears the 50 point mark in the frame. There are three reds still in the wide open, and it looks a formality from here.
Robertson 5-9 Higgins (19-1)John strokes in a long red after Neil's break-off shot in frame 15, but he throws everything at a cutback on the black to keep going and he's left it in the jaws of the bottom left! Neil's in with an easy starter, but a couple of aggressive yet wild shots bring his break clanging to a halt on 11 when he misses a red to the green pocket. He's back in now though with a brilliant plant and flukes position on the black.
Robertson 5-9 HigginsNeil leaves the cue ball tight on the top cushion, but the yellow on to the left middle. John gambles everything, rolls it deadweight...and it stays out off the bottom knuckle! That serves up the frame for Neil, who dishes up to the pink to nick the frame.
Robertson 4-9 Higgins (54-37)Neil reaches his half-century, but can't drop on either of the two remaining reds on the bottom cushion to keep going. His safety is good though and forces a mistake from John, who leaves a red over the bottom left. This is a chance for Neil to seal the frame, but he can't drop it in and John tidies it up soon after. The pink is then dispatched, as is the final red, before John lays a snooker behind the black that draws a four point foul from a miss. We're into a safety exchange on the colours, and John needs all of them for the title.
Robertson 4-9 Higgins (27-25)John drops in a speculative plant as a shot to nothing, but doesn't land on a baulk colour. He then plays a safety that forces Neil into a superb pot on a red to the bottom left, and then an even better blue into the left middle. This is a chance, and he swiftly takes the lead in the frame. Can he take this out in one go and extend the argument?
Robertson 4-9 Higgins (0-24)A poor safety from Neil at the start of frame 14 leaves a red over the bottom right. John booms it in, then the brown, and he's soon at the business end of the table. A plant is soon dispatched that lands him perfectly on the blue, and this is a huge chance; Neil will be fearing that he's played his last shot here. Not so! John goes into the pack off the blue but he doesn't land on anything, and Neil still has a finger on his Tour Championship trophy.
Robertson 4-9 HigginsThere won't be another ton, but an 84 takes John to the brink of the Tour Championship title. Neil, the most in-form player in the world, has been schooled so far today and will need something off the map to make a fight of this.
Robertson 4-8 Higgins (0-70)Frame ball black goes, as does an insurance red to ensure that Neil won't be coming back. This has been a majestic effort today from John, who will shortly be one frame away from the title.
Robertson 4-8 Higgins (0-51)John goes into the pack off the blue to get to 43. It doesn't go as planned, but he does have a red to the yellow pocket. Fearless of Wishaw calmly jabs it into the heart of the pocket, followed by a superb pink to right middle when bridging over another red. That leaves a long-ish red to the bottom left, but he drains it superbly to go up for the yellow. It's been said many times, but this man is some player.
Robertson 4-8 Higgins (0-24)We're back, what he we got left? John needs two, Neil needs six. And it's John that's in first, draining a sensational long red as a drag shot to the bottom right, and he's on the black. The concentration on his face as he surveys the table is quite something; he wants this bad, that much is obvious. He's quickly turning this visit into a serious chance, and with several reds in open play and the pink and black both on he could make a bit of hay here.
Robertson 4-8 HigginsNo ton sadly, but every journey starts with a single step as the saying goes. It's a long way back for Neil, but a break of 91 reduces John's lead to 8-4.
We'll be back in 15 minutes.
Robertson 3-8 Higgins (74-1)Frame ball red goes followed by the blue, and Neil is flying around the table now. Can he turn this into the sixth century of this superb final?
Robertson 3-8 Higgins (52-1)A few visits like this on the spin would change the complexion of this final. In little to no time Neil completes his half century, and there is still a pile of easy points out there to take. He's going to stop the rot and win his first frame of the night here.
Robertson 3-8 Higgins (32-1)This is the last frame before the interval, and if Neil can't snag it this could be an early night. John has been so impressive in shutting him down tonight. He tries to get going at the start of frame twelve with a long red to the bottom left, but he's butchered it and missed by a mile. Is this a chance now though? John pots the opening red but can't land on the black, and his safety to baulk catches the yellow. That leaves Neil a gun barrel straight long red, which he fires in to land on the black. He's away, and has a load on here, because there are reds everywhere. Unbelievably though, in potting the black to reach 31 he lands welded to a red in the middle of the table. He just about picks out a red to bottom left though, and rescues the situation.
Robertson 3-8 HigginsThat's us for frame eleven, as Neil misses a red to the bottom left and John mops it up. An additional 14 makes it five frames in a row for John, and he's bossing this.
Robertson 3-7 Higgins (5-68)This is such a precise break from John, whose intricate position is so impressive around the black spot. His break reaches 45 and Neil needs a snooker to tie; from John's safety he returns to the table to find all four remaining reds are welded to the bottom cushion and the cue ball to the top one.
Robertson 3-7 Higgins (5-53)We've had nine minutes of safety, punctuated only by an attempt at a bullet straight long red from Neil that rattles furiously out of the bottom left. There are still ten reds out there, nine of which are around the black. Neil cracks first, misjudging a thin contact safety that not only brings the black out but leaves a red to left middle. John, already with the lead, now has a big chance to put in a sizeable visit that would leave Neil a mountain to climb in this frame if possible at all. He's added 30 and counting so far.
Robertson 3-7 Higgins (5-23)Here's a chance for Neil, as John catches a double kiss on a safety and leaves a red on to the bottom left. He's cold at the table though, and makes only five from it. Neil can't get going so far tonight, and from a safety he sends the black into the bottom right to give away seven. It's a mess of a table, but the pink is now free so there's an opportunity for whoever gets in next.
Robertson 3-7 Higgins (0-16)Neil plays a containing safety at the start of frame eleven, or so he thinks. He deadweight drops onto a red on the left rail, only to watch John drive a red long into the green pocket to land on the blue! My oh my, he's potted some balls today. John starts grafting a break together, which is not easy with pink and black tied up. He looks so focused though, and he's cueing like a dream right now. Position is a losing game though, and he's eventually forced to play safe to baulk.
Robertson 3-7 HigginsIt's a total of 68 for John, who has now won four frames on the spin. Neil needs a response, and quickly.
Robertson 3-6 Higgins (0-71)John has picked these off calmly, and moves 71 ahead with 67 remaining. Neil won't be coming back though, and for the first time today we'll have a four-frame gap between the two players.
Robertson 3-6 Higgins (0-50)A safety exchange of the highest quality takes place for almost ten minutes. These two will just not give each other a sniff here, but Neil gambles on a deadweight, wafer thin cut on a red to left middle and he's missed it. That was a huge shot to take on. John then dispatches a mid-range red to the bottom right and a nerveless black gently into the bottom left, and he's back in control. It's a messy table after all the safety, but there's enough in the open to get this done with high value colours.
Robertson 3-6 Higgins (0-33)That could be an important clearance in the context of the match. For the second time today, John pinches one right from under Neil's nose. Will these frames be the distance? Robertson hasn't been ahead at any point today and trails by three again. Neil tries to make it happen in the tenth, committing fully to a long red to the bottom left to hold for the black, but it jaws out and it's left John right in. It's a volley of reds and blacks to start, as John establishes a lead. On 33 though he loses position on the black, and can only play back to baulk. That's a let off for Neil.
Robertson 3-6 HigginsJohn gets a look at the red to green pocket from distance, and he wriggles it into the pocket and lands on the blue! That is soon dispatched with the rest, and he needs up to and including the pink to sort it. The pink is off its spot, and when John arrives at it he can only leave it mid-range to the bottom right...and he drills it in to take the frame!
Robertson 3-5 Higgins (41-34)Jitters ahoy! Now Neil misses a pink to the middle. John pots red-blue-red-brown, but doesn't have the angle to move the final red away from the black. Much like the first frame of the day, this feels like a big moment.
Robertson 3-5 Higgins (33-23)After a brilliant blue to the green pocket Neil misses a red down the left rail to keep going, and it's end of break. Safety ensues, but when Neil catches the jaws of the bottom left with one of his it leaves John a red to right middle. It goes, but it's a difficult chance as pink and black are currently tied up. Two brilliant recover pots - red to right middle and a thunderous long blue to the bottom right - keep John's break going early and he now has the pink back on its spot. This is a chance, until the nap of the cloth drags a deadweight pink to the right middle offline, and what a chance now for Neil instead!
Robertson 3-5 Higgins (27-0)A superb break from Neil forces John to play a containing safety, but his dump shot doesn't leave the white tight to the bottom cushion and it's an immediate chance for his opponent. Neil plugs a red to the bottom left, and he's away. One trip into the pack leaves him welded to a red, but he bridges over it to pot the pink and keep going.
Here we goTahir Hajat introduces the players, and Venue Cymru is popping tonight. First to ten it is then for the 2022 Tour Championship.
Long night?We could well be in for one with these two. When they met at the English Open in final it went to a decider, with Neil nicking it at the death. Afterwards, John was crestfallen; he'd led 8-6 and then lost the last three frames, and questioned his ability to win big tournaments again in the post-match interview. He's lost six of his last seven ranking event finals, but leads by two here. Can he see it home this time? Neil, for sure, will have plenty to say about that.
Once more, with feelingHere we go again, it's the final session of the 2022 Tour Championship from Venue Cymru in Llandudno. It's a simple equation: John Higgins needs five frames, Neil Robertson needs seven. Let's get to it!
--- John Higgins leads Neil RobertsonWhat a treat on a cold Sunday afternoon that was. John has the advantage, but both players should take the flowers for a brilliant and absorbing session of snooker. As for who might win this, flip a coin; what you don't want to do is miss any of it when it resumes this evening.
We'll be back to see how it all pans out from 7.15pm.
Robertson 3-5 HigginsThe frame is secured, and surely even Neil will want this to turn into a century. We don't get it though, as the break curtails on 80 when John can't convert a tough red to the right middle.
What an afternoon that was, and we get to do it all again tonight!
Robertson 3-4 Higgins (0-54)This is just a staggering session of snooker to witness. I've been watching this game for 37 years and I can't quite remember a similar barrage of scoring, as Higgins calmly moves to a half-century with the pink. The frame looks nailed on to go at this visit, are we going to get another century to round this off?
Robertson 3-4 Higgins (0-20)Some brilliant tit-for-tat safety starts the eighth frame, we really are getting it all today. Both players know the danger of the other getting in first - particularly today - and it's John that chokes down the first red. He's on blue to left middle to follow, and he's got a chance. There's 20 on the board already, and with blue and pink to play for and plenty of reds this could be another hefty visit.
Robertson 3-4 HigginsI don't want this session to end. John doesn't get the total clearance, but an outstanding 127 puts him back in the lead. So far these two have served up five centuries, a maxi attempt and a frame settled in the black in seven frames.
Robertson 3-3 Higgins (0-105)What a shot from John, as he makes a plant to the right middle to stay on the black. If he can dish by staying on said colour, he'll equal the highest break of the tournament so far and he knows it. The century is in the bank, and what a response this is from John!
Robertson 3-3 Higgins (0-73)John's going back into the lead, as frame ball red and insurance blue both disappear. He's not done tough, and we could well have another ton on the way.
Robertson 3-3 Higgins (0-51)A lovely shot from John on a red just below the pack pots the ball, splits the pack and retains perfect position on the black. We are watching the gold standard here people, and John has banked another half-century. Earlier this week, as the great Stephen Hendry points out in co-comms, Ronnie O'Sullivan became the first player ever to register five centuries in consecutive matches and he didn't even make the final.
Robertson 3-3 Higgins (0-20)As groovy middle managers are prone to say, let's all chillax shall we? Neil is still buzzing from the previous frame though and throws the lot at a tough red to the bottom left at the start of the seventh frame. It's close but it doesn't go, and in trying to hold for the black he's left John in. Can he fire right back?
Robertson 3-3 HigginsHe's onto the colours, and only that blue on the top rail can deny us a maxi here. Neil clears up the baulk colours and finishes on the blue to the yellow pocket. The pink is off its spot so there's not too far for the white to travel...but AAARGH the blue rattles in the jaws and spits out! The maxi disappears, but as a footnote that 129 means Neil has won three on the spin and is level. What a thrilling frame!
Robertson 2-3 Higgins (104-0)Neil comes out to the left rail for the most awkward red left, and fires it in to come out for the black. That goes, and so does the red near the pink. Neil secures the ton with the black, and nudges into the pink to get on the second to last red! What an effort this is.
Robertson 2-3 Higgins (80-0)What a shot! Neil needs to pot a long red to the yellow pocket to keep going, eight across the table, and nails it! He's straight on the black though, and it's getting tougher. He's fluked a gap to his next red, which is frame ball, and plugs it while using the rest, and another black follows! It's on folks - come on the Thunder!
Robertson 2-3 Higgins (64-0)Lovely news for maxi fans (which, let's face it, is all of us) - the pink is tied up and the blue is in on the top cushion in baulk. With all reds at the south of the table, Neil needs to stay on the black here. He must be starting to entertain the idea now, if he wasn't already, as the eighth post-red black goes down.
Robertson 2-3 Higgins (32-0)Is Neil finding his stride? He deadweights a superb long red into the bottom right, then dispatches a nerveless cutback on black to bottom left and he's in. These are nicely set, and path for the black to both corners is quickly cleared. It's four reds with blacks so far.
Robertson 2-3 HigginsHe's done it! After a tougher than it looked green to brown, Neil clears to the pink and he trails by just one.
Robertson 1-3 Higgins (56-47)Neil tries a shot to nothing on one of the reds, catches it thick and leaves a tough pot on to the left middle. John can't convert it though, and he's left Neil in. The three reds go with colours, and Neil is back in the lead. He goes up for the yellow, and will need up to the blue for the frame...
Robertson 1-3 Higgins (37-47)John takes the lead in the frame, but his break is over on 30 as he can't shift any of the three remaining reds from safety. Not for the first time today, John's incredible safety game imposes itself. He traps Neil tight behind the black, snookered on all three reds, and picks up eight more points before Neil escapes. All three reds are now in play, and it's a dangerous table again.
Robertson 1-3 Higgins (37-15)Neil's break judders to a halt on 33 when he fails to land on a red to right middle, and has no other option than to go back to baulk. John gets a brief chance but can only fashion nine from it, and we could be in for another long one with several of the remaining reds hugging rails. Here's a look for John though; an excellent safety from him causes Neil to catch the jaws of the bottom left on his next shot, and John is in.
Robertson 1-3 Higgins (25-0)We go again. Neil picks up four when Higgins shorts a one cushion escape at the start of frame five. It's a mess of a table, and both players miss attempts at long reds before Neil finally gets in. It's an intricate break so far given the position of the reds, requiring tight cue ball control and also overcoming someone making a racket in the crowd.
Robertson 1-3 HigginsWhat a response from Neil after the earlier barrage from John. He takes his turn in emptying the table, with a brilliant 130 winning his first frame of the day.
We've got ourselves a live one here, folks. The players head to the interval, we'll be back in 15 minutes.
Robertson 0-3 Higgins (67-0)Frame ball red takes Neil to 67, and he'll head to the interval two behind. Can he give us our third century in a row in this match?
Robertson 0-3 Higgins (52-0)Position is tricky in this break for Neil with the black near the pink spot, and the cue ball is having to complete a lot of mileage to blue and baulk colours. His half century is up though, and he's only a few balls away from picking this frame off.
Robertson 0-3 Higgins (21-0)Neil hasn't potted a ball for some time, but gets a chance here when John leaves a cut on to the bottom right. It's a tester, but Neil clips it in and then booms in an even harder long black and he's in. It's a great chance to register a frame before the interval.
Robertson 0-3 HigginsIt's back-to-back centuries for John, who empties the table for a brilliant 126 to extend his lead. This is vintage stuff, don't ever retire John.
Robertson 0-2 Higgins (0-68)This is just masterful from Higgins. It's a deft break, with the cue ball barely moving more than a foot as he piles on a half-century. There goes frame ball red too, and he's going to take a deserved 3-0 lead here.
Robertson 0-2 Higgins (0-36)This is a beauty from John. He makes a plant to the bottom right, confidently stroking it in to land perfectly on the black. The confidence is coursing through him right now, and he later makes a deft cut on a red to bottom right using the spider. John has now cleared the path to both corner pockets for the black, and this is a big chance.
Robertson 0-2 Higgins (0-12)It's another look for John in the third, as Neil leaves a red on to the bottom left. He can only make eight, but it's really going his way today as his safety back to baulk sees the white flick the brown and go behind the yellow. From there Neil gives away four from a miss, but not position. It's early, but John's really in charge right now.
Robertson 0-2 HigginsFrame ball blue goes to make the break 71 and counting, compiled in just six minutes. John cracks on to turn that into a century as a magnificent total clearance of 136 puts him two frames ahead.
Robertson 0-1 Higgins (0-53)John is coasting here, striking the cue ball perfectly and picking off balls at will. It's like flicking a switch from the last frame. He's up to a half-century already and there's more than enough in the open to win this one very quickly.
Robertson 0-1 Higgins (0-24)It might take both players a while to settle back down after that. Neil misses a red at the start of frame two, and it's an immediate chance for John. He's into the pack early, affecting a nice split, and finds a brilliant recovery pot on the black, after losing position slightly, to reach 24.
Robertson 0-1 HigginsJohn pots the black to steal an epic, 50-minute opening frame!
Robertson 0-0 Higgins (77-71)What larks! In stunning on the blue, Neil has nudged the black across the line of pink to bottom left and it won't go! Back to safety we go, and Neil might have chucked it here; a double kiss on the pink leaves it on to the green pocket...John plugs it and he's on the black for the frame!
Robertson 0-0 Higgins (65-65)My word! John misses a thin contact on the green completely and it's four away. Neil then takes the lead in the frame, as a brilliant snooker of his own draws four misses from John before he eventually escapes, and a later four point foul from Neil pulls the frame level again. It's hard to see how we resolve this, until the first poor safety of this exchange from John leaves the green on to the yellow pocket. Can Neil dish? He needs up to the pink.
Robertson 0-0 Higgins (45-61)An excellent snooker from John forces a miss from Neil. Another later but equally taxing snooker sees Neil escape but send the pink in-off. This frame has been ticking along for 35 minutes now, and could still go either way. John is winning the safety exchanges though, and forces an error from Neil and a chance to cut the yellow in to the bottom left with the rest. John makes it, but he's not on the green. On we go!
Robertson 0-0 Higgins (45-49)A superb snooker from John, tight in behind the yellow, forces a mistake when Neil escapes but leaves a simple red to the bottom right. John tides up the remaining reds with blacks, and hits the front in the frame. In going up for the colours however, he's snooker himself behind the green and can't see the yellow! What a misjudgement, there was such a margin for error. John puts the yellow safe, just, and these feel like a big 27 points already in this match.
Robertson 0-0 Higgins (45-9)Neil looks in nice touch here, but on 23 he surprisingly misses a pink to the right middle just as he looked set to win the frame. John has a chance to punish that, but loses position early in his counter and can't drop a red deadweight into the left middle. Neither player has settled down yet, and with five reds left out there this frame is still a live one.
Robertson 0-0 Higgins (22-1)What an outrageous touch this is! Neil glides in a long red to the bottom right, the cue ball then faintly brushes two reds and then glides gently through a tight gap behind the black to land on the pink. He'll take that, as they say in the trade. It's a chance, bur Neil can only make 21 before hitting the brown when trying to go in and out of baulk, leaving the white stranded there. From the safety John gets a look at a long red to the bottom right, but he's missed it and Neil is back in.
Robertson 0-0 Higgins (1-1)John hoses down a long red straight off Neil's break-off, but can't the drop the pink in using the rest. Neil gets a red down too, but fails to land on the black and has to play safe. It's cagey stuff so far, and there's a lot of respect being shown out there.
It's timeOur MC Tahir Hajat has baized the players, let's get going. It's first to ten for the title, and we'll have eight frames this afternoon.
I Don’t Care How You Get Here, Just get here if you canIn his quarter-final Neil beat Mark Allen 10-6, before withstanding five centuries from an in-form Ronnie O’Sullivan to nick their semi-final in a thrilling decider. John has been to the well twice; he trailed Zhao Xintong 8-4 in the quarters before winning on a decider, and yesterday overcame a 3-0 deficit to haul himself over the line 10-7 against Luca Brecel.
WizardIt’s been a nearly season for John so far. He won the best-of-five Championship League title, but in ranking events proper in 2021-22 this is his fourth final and he’s yet to win one. At both the Northern Ireland and English Open finals he led Mark Allen and Neil respectively 8-6, only to lose the last three frames and the title; at the Scottish Open, he ran into a headwind called Luca Brecel and was blown aside. You don’t get to that many finals in a season if you’re not playing well though, and Neil has a game on here.
ThunderIf you want a form horse for the Crucible later this month, look no further than Neil. He’s had a superb season, which started in earnest when he beat John in the English Open final in November. Check out his 2022 though; he won the Masters in January, then the prestigious Players Championship in February, and now he’s on the cusp of retaining the Tour Championship. These are high quality, high reward events, and Neil is flattening them. Right now, he may well be the best player in the world.
Hello HelloGood afternoon, and welcome to live coverage of the 2022 Tour Championship final from Venue Cymru in Llandudno!
We’ve got a belter of a final for you today. Defending champion Neil Robertson, the Thunder from Down Under and the greatest overseas player in the history of the game, takes on John Higgins, the Wizard of Wishaw and one of the greatest players we’ve ever seen. It’s hard to envision anything other than a high quality, absorbing encounter today.
Those boys will be baized in around 15 minutes, and we’ll see it right through until the argument is settled.
--- Higgins wins thrilling semi-final against BrecelJohn Higgins won a thrilling Tour Championship semi-final 10-7 against Luca Brecel as two players struggling for consistency produced a rollercoaster match.
Both Higgins and Brecel fought back from three frames down but it was the Scot who eventually came out on top in the end, earning the right to play Neil Robertson in the final.
Having won five frames on the bounce in the afternoon session to lead 5-3, Higgins kept up his momentum in the evening session and made it 6-3 in no time as Brecel went in-off after a break of 23, leaving the table wide open for Higgins to land a run of 20, followed by a snooker that saw the Belgian concede the frame.
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Tour Championship
Higgins wins thrilling semi-final against Brecel
YESTERDAY AT 15:23
Tour Championship
Tour Championship semi-final LIVE - Higgins faces off against Brecel as Robertson awaits in final
YESTERDAY AT 09:16