World Snooker Championship 2022 - John Higgins dominates Noppon Saengkham to move within two frames of quarter-finals
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Updated 24/04/2022 at 22:02 GMT
John Higgins is on the brink of a place in the quarter-finals of the World Championship at the Crucible as he totally dominated the second session of his match with Noppon Saengkham. After starting the evening all level, Higgins powered away. Watch the World Championship and other top snooker live on Eurosport and discovery+.
'He was right!' - Higgins squeezes in pink on narrowest of angles
John Higgins is firmly on course for a 16th World Championship quarter-final appearance after taking control of his clash with Noppon Saengkham.
Higgins let a lead slip to share the opening session, but was rock solid on Sunday evening at the Crucible to move into an 11-5 advantage.
Noppon passed up the few chances he had, and will need a major turnaround to deny the Scot when the match plays to a conclusion on Monday.
Higgins would have arrived at the Crucible for the second session reflecting on how he did not secure a lead earlier in the day. If it was eating away at him, he did not show it as he knocked in a superb long red at the start of the opening frame of the evening. He did not kill it off at one visit, but did enough to edge back in front.
The momentum carried on in the next frame for Higgins, as he stroked in the 160th century of his Crucible career. It was an immaculate break of 125, and one which fired a warning to Noppon who coughed up the chance after missing a blue.
Higgins’ potting in the 11th was razor sharp, and only an unfortunate cannon prevented him killing it off at a single visit.
The Scot completed a clean sweep of the mini-session with an excellent break of 60, as Noppon was restricted to 18 points in four frames.
Higgins got the ball rolling in the evening with a glorious long red from under the baulk rail. He repeated the dose upon the resumption and a break of 69 piled more pressure on Noppon.
A rare error from Higgins handed Noppon a chance in the 14th, but he missed the penultimate red with the rest, and Higgins cleared to turn the screw yet further.
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'Looks completely at ease out there tonight' Higgins wows Crucible with 124 break
Noppon was in first in the 15th. After potting an excellent black with the extended spider he missed the next black, and Higgins made him sit in his seat and regret the error as a break of 100 made it seven frames on the spin.
The Thai avoided the embarrassment of a whitewash when steeling himself to knock in a break of 64 after Higgins had broken down on 38.
Stuart Bingham and Kyren Wilson are locked together after an arm-wrestle of a second session on Sunday evening.
Bingham led 5-3 going into Sunday evening and had the chance to pull away, but Wilson produced some of his best snooker of the match - including a granite-like break of 96 in the final frame - to leave the contest locked together at 8-8 heading into the concluding session on Monday.
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