Higgins - not happy with table set-up.
HIGGINS EASES THROUGH
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John Higgins joined defending champion Peter Ebdon and seven-time winner
Stephen Hendry in the last eight of the Embassy World Championship in Sheffield
on Saturday afternoon.
After Ebdon's 13-5 victory over Tony Drago, Higgins, winner of the world title five years ago, knocked out Sean Storey 13-7.
World number four Higgins has not won a title since the 2002 Irish Masters in
Dublin last March, but his form so far at the Crucible suggests he could end his
silverware famine on May 5.
The 27-year-old Scot needed just 72 minutes to turn his 10-6 overnight lead
into a place in the last eight.
And there was never any doubt Higgins would end the superb World Championship
run of Grimsby professional Storey.
The only disappointment for Higgins was his failure to land a share of Ronnie
O'Sullivan's £169,000 prize for his 147 break against Marco Fu.
Higgins missed the green in the second frame and then the 10th red 14 frames
later.
"I was a bit nervous with the first one and I was in two minds over my shot
on the yellow," he explained.
"In the end though I was a little unlucky with where the cue ball ended.
"The second time I thought it was a certainty but I just took my eye off the
red. When Sean cleared up with 73 to go 10-6 I was pretty disappointed to say
the least.
"But Sean can take a lot of credit out the game. He has been working hard on
his game this season and his results have proved that.
"If he can carry on playing like that he will certainly do well in the
game."
Despite some impressive scoring, including a 70 to finish, Higgins was not
entirely satisfied with the playing conditions.
Like Ebdon he has been perturbed by a switch to a thicker cloth and he was
also unhappy with a decision to change the pocket sizes.
"The tables are playing a lot differently than usual. And the pockets are a
little bit tighter," he added.
"I spoke to the table fitter and he told me they are one-sixteenth of an inch
tighter than usual.
"That doesn't seem a lot but believe you me it is. The cloth is not the same
that we have been using for the last three years and that's beyond me. In fact,
it's quite disturbing."
Higgins, though has played as well as anyone and he added: "I am feeling
confident.
"As other players have said this is where the tournament really starts."
Higgins returns to the table to face 1997 world champion Ken Doherty or fellow
Scot Graeme Dott.
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