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Ssb - day five: Higgins takes centre stage
Just as not much was expected of Ronnie O'Sullivan, many feel John Higgins is the man to beat at the Crucible.
But O'Sullivan silenced the doubters - at least for now - with a superb display against Dominic Dale. Can Higgins now deliver against Stephen Lee?
Higgins played Lee on his TV comeback at this season's UK Championshjip last December. He began with two centuries, they both played well and the Scot won 9-6.
Like O'Sullivan, Higgins is aiming to win the Betfred.com World Championship for a fourth time. He's had a great season, winning five titles, and so is clearly going to take some stopping...if he continues in the same vein.
The good news for Ronnie fans is that their man is not only playing well but, for the moment at least, feeling good in himself. Shaun Murphy, and possibly Higgins in the quarters, will provide a sterner challenge than Dale managed and how O'Sullivan deals with the pressure he is put under will be key.
But it's not like he hasn't dealt with it before at the Crucible.
Marco Fu leads Martin Gould 6-3 overnight. Fu is a hard player to predict. He either seems to play great or pretty average. Gould went for everything, which is how he plays, but they need to start going in if he's to repeat his win over Fu at the same stage last year.
Rory McLeod has never been to the last 16 of a ranking event. It could take a long time if he is to do so today.
McLeod is level at 4-4 with Ricky Walden. They were pulled off a frame early yesterday and could need a third session to finish the match if it goes close.
Peter Ebdon was very unlucky to suffer a kick when nicely in to make it 9-9 with Stuart Bingham last night but the truth is he had let the match slip from 8-6 up.
Matthew Stevens and Mark Allen served up an entertaining, highly sporting nine frames and we hope for more of the same tonight.
Graeme Dott started to play well from 2-2 to 6-2 over Mark King, although the Essex man did win the last of the afternoon.
Mark Selby has been extremely well backed for success. He plays Jimmy Robertson, a debutant also making his first appearance in the final stages of a ranking event.
Victory for Robertson would be one of the Crucible's biggest ever shocks. To stand any chance he surely needs to settle early, and that's easier said than done at the theatre of both dreams and nightmares.
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But O'Sullivan silenced the doubters - at least for now - with a superb display against Dominic Dale. Can Higgins now deliver against Stephen Lee?
Higgins played Lee on his TV comeback at this season's UK Championshjip last December. He began with two centuries, they both played well and the Scot won 9-6.
Like O'Sullivan, Higgins is aiming to win the Betfred.com World Championship for a fourth time. He's had a great season, winning five titles, and so is clearly going to take some stopping...if he continues in the same vein.
The good news for Ronnie fans is that their man is not only playing well but, for the moment at least, feeling good in himself. Shaun Murphy, and possibly Higgins in the quarters, will provide a sterner challenge than Dale managed and how O'Sullivan deals with the pressure he is put under will be key.
But it's not like he hasn't dealt with it before at the Crucible.
Marco Fu leads Martin Gould 6-3 overnight. Fu is a hard player to predict. He either seems to play great or pretty average. Gould went for everything, which is how he plays, but they need to start going in if he's to repeat his win over Fu at the same stage last year.
Rory McLeod has never been to the last 16 of a ranking event. It could take a long time if he is to do so today.
McLeod is level at 4-4 with Ricky Walden. They were pulled off a frame early yesterday and could need a third session to finish the match if it goes close.
Peter Ebdon was very unlucky to suffer a kick when nicely in to make it 9-9 with Stuart Bingham last night but the truth is he had let the match slip from 8-6 up.
Matthew Stevens and Mark Allen served up an entertaining, highly sporting nine frames and we hope for more of the same tonight.
Graeme Dott started to play well from 2-2 to 6-2 over Mark King, although the Essex man did win the last of the afternoon.
Mark Selby has been extremely well backed for success. He plays Jimmy Robertson, a debutant also making his first appearance in the final stages of a ranking event.
Victory for Robertson would be one of the Crucible's biggest ever shocks. To stand any chance he surely needs to settle early, and that's easier said than done at the theatre of both dreams and nightmares.
More...