John Higgins: 'I knew O'Sullivan was going to be greatest at 15, he had a glow like Ready Brek man'
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Updated 11/12/2017 at 19:06 GMT
John Higgins has paid a glowing tribute to his time-honoured rival Ronnie O'Sullivan by revealing he knew the six-times UK champion was going to be snooker's greatest when they were only 15.
John Higgins and Ronnie O'Sullivan at the 2001 World Championship final.
Image credit: Eurosport
Speaking after an impressive 4-1 win over Jack Lisowski in the first round of the Scottish Open at Emirates Arena in Glasgow, four-times world champion Higgins said he is unsurprised about O'Sullivan's ongoing level of green baize brilliance.
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John Higgins overcame Jack Lisowski in the Scottish Open first round.
Image credit: Eurosport
Five-times world champion O'Sullivan equalled Steve Davis' record of six UK Championships as he claimed his third ranking event in the past three months with a blissful exhibition of strategy, safety play, potting and break-building in an absorbing 10-5 win over Shaun Murphy in York on Sunday night.
The only record that eludes him is Stephen Hendry's haul of seven world titles. Higgins feels nothing is beyond the Essex player in his early 40s who reminds him of a famous cereal advert for Ready Brek. O'Sullivan is more the Ready Break man.
"He is a different class," said Higgins. "I knew at 15 when I first seen him play that he was going to be the best player in the world.
"There is just something about him. He is like the Ready Brek man: he has that glow about him when he is at the table.
Whatever he does, doesn't surprise me. He is such a tough animal to play nowadays. Even he admits it I think because he would maybe throw the toys out of the pram a little bit a few years ago.
"Now he is just the complete player. He is a tougher player to play. I don't know if he is a better player, but is a tougher opponent to beat. It's as simple as that."
Higgins turned professional alongside O'Sullivan and Mark Williams in 1992, and the celebrated trio display few signs of creaking at the age of 42.
Higgins narrowly lost the World Championship final 18-15 to Mark Selby in May while Williams has ended his six-year wait for a title by lifting the Northern Ireland Open with a 9-8 win over Yan Bingtao last month.
"Williams was far too good a player not to have won anything of note," said Higgins, who enjoyed runs of 44, 99, 46, 88 and 44 in securing a meeting with Christopher Keogan in the last 64.. "That was a head scratcher how he wasn't adding to his tally while myself and Ronnie have been winning tournaments for six or seven years, and he wasn't.
That should give him confidence, and listen he could win a right few more because he has the belief and thinks he can win. He is such a great player, and it has been a privilege for me growing up alongside Ronnie and Mark.
Higgins cut a more content figure after saying it could be the beginning of the end of his gilded career having blown a 4-2 lead in losing 6-5 to Mark King in the UK Championship last 16 last week.
"It the first game on the TV in front of the Scottish crowd and if you lose, it would be a nightmare watching the rest of the tournament in Scotland when you are just 15 minutes down the road in Scotland," said Higgins, who lost to Marco Fu in the Scottish Open final a year ago.
"I'm pleased to get through, and feel that I can get into the tournament and get a bit of a run going.
"It was stupid what I said last week. The last three or four times in York, I've lost roughly at the same stage 6-5. I've had good chances to win.
"Even when I was 4-2 in front, I thought I was going to lose 6-5 here. It as if I knew what was going to happen.
It was a horrible feeling, and I did collapse, but it was more of my mind than my game. Then you do the interview right after the game, and just say stupid things.
"Deep down, I didn't think it was the beginning of the end, but you just say things you can't take back."
O'Sullivan has said he fancies a stint in I'm A Celebrity to emulate fellow snooker icons Steve Davis and Jimmy White.
Higgins has no plans to take up a career doing reality TV.
"Have you seen me in Speedos? I don't know if you would want to see me in Speedos."
Desmond Kane at the Emirates Arena
SCOTTISH OPEN FIRST ROUND RESULTS
- Marco Fu 4-0 Duane Jones
- Fang Xiongman 4-3 David Gilbert
- Zhou Yuelong 4-1 Ian Preece
- Lee Walker 2-4 Yu De Lu
- Martin Gould 3-4 Noppon Saengkham
- Fergal O'Brien 1-4 Zhang Yong
- Lyu Haotian 2-4 Gary Wilson
- Xiao Guodong 4-1 Li Yuan
- Chris Totten 4-1 Sam Baird
- Hossein Vafaei 3-3 Mitchell Mann
- John J Astley 2-4 Liam Highfield
- John Higgins 4-1 Jack Lisowski
- Nigel Bond 0-4 Christopher Keogan
- Mike Dunn 4-0 Adam Duffy
- Zhao Xintong 2-4 Gerard Greene
- Tian Pengfei 2-4 Kurt Dunham
- James Wattana 0-4 Michael White
- Barry Hawkins 2-4 Jamie Jones
- Jackson Page 1-4 Stuart Carrington
- James Wattana 0-4 Michael White
- David Grace 4-1 Alexander Ursenbacher
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