John Higgins produced a final frame clearance from 62-0 down last night to stun Mark Allen and complete an incredible comeback in a Crucible classic.
The Wizard of Wishaw was staring defeat in the face at the World Championships in Sheffield when Allen missed a red and Higgins showed nerves of steel to pot a stunning red that sparked his clearance (see video below) to take the frame 71-62.
The earned a 13-12 victory for the four-time champion, who held his cue aloft in celebration, having trailed 7-5, 7-7 and 12-11 during the last 16 tie.
A defeat would have seen Higgins drop out of the top 16 rankings but now he is in a quarter-final with Kyren Wilson and could face Ronnie O'Sullivan if he reaches this weekend's final.
And he admitted his success brought him to tears.
The 48-year-old said: "I didn’t think the red went, but I’m thinking ‘let’s go for it’. There’s a sniff of a chance you might get it and get the clearance. When it went in, I felt calm.
"Now I get a bit emotional. Mark is a total gentleman, said some nice words. I went into the dressing room and had a little bubble myself, because I knew it was a special clearance.
“I’m delighted the way I held on to Mark when it was 7-5, the standard wasn’t great, taking a little bit of time.
"I’m over the moon. I think it will hit me later that it was a special clearance. I’m proud of myself.”
Higgins also paid tribute to the character of his opponent, adding: "Tonight, the one thing I’ll mention about Mark is his bottle.
"He’s got incredible bottle, and I never in a million years thought he was going to miss that red. That’s just the one thing I’ve always said about him.
"Sometimes I’m sitting admiring him, thinking 'why doesn’t he play like that all the time?’ He’s an unbelievable player when he gets on a bit of a roll. I think he will win this tournament in the future, but he’s got to play at that pace, because he’s not as good when he starts double-guessing himself."
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