John Higgins was "over the moon” with his win over Ronnie O’Sullivan in the quarter finals of the Masters - and revealed that some intense work on his technique is starting to pay off.
The four-time world champion headed into his quarter-final at the Marshall Arena as a heavy underdog after O’Sullivan’s display against Ding Junhui in the first round, but he knocked in three centuries - including a tournament-high 145 - on his way to a 6-3 win.
He told Eurosport after the match that he could not play any better, which may be a small crumb of comfort to semi-final opponent David Gilbert.
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"Brilliant,” was his reaction to Eurosport. "I can’t play any better than that. I thought it was a great match.”

‘I can’t play any better than that’ – Higgins thrilled to beat O'Sullivan

Higgins got a lot of table time last week during the Championship League, and he felt that - along with some tweaks to his technique - was evident against O'Sullivan.
"I am the underdog against Ronnie without doubt,” he said. "But coming down to the Championship League was important to get some matches.
But I have been doing something different with my technique. Watching Mark Selby, I am trying to give myself a trigger. I am just trying to get close to the white ball.
"I have heard people say I'm too far away from the white ball and at the point of contact I am too far away and losing power.
"So I'm trying to get closer with my bridge hand and my tip and it's giving me a trigger like a golfer, and it's paying off."
Higgins impressed at the Championship League, where he won four of his six league matches before beating Tom Ford in the Table 1 play-off and crushing Kyren Wilson 3-0 in the group final.
But he says that this week - against other top-ranked players - will be the true test of his form.
"I am delighted with the way I played," he said. "I am over the moon. You can do it in a few matches, but you want to do it against the best as that is how you judge yourself.”

‘Trademark wizardry!’ – Higgins completes total clearance to edge ahead

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