Scottish snooker star John Higgins faced a setback when his cue was rendered unusable after being damaged by severe rain during a stopover while returning from the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters. The protective casing was flooded, leaving the cue in a warped condition, which Higgins described as "soul destroying." However, he has since adjusted to a new cue and hopes it will reinvigorate his performance as he strives to maintain his position in the world’s top 16, currently holding 16th place.
Despite the loss of his prized cue, Higgins managed to secure a win, setting up a last 16 clash against either world number three Mark Allen or Lyu Haotian. Reflecting on the damage, Higgins noted that the water seeped into the cue, making it irreparable and forcing him to switch to an older model. This change, he suggested, might be fortuitous, as returning to his previous cue specifications could provide a boost to his game.
In other tournament news, Kyren Wilson advanced to the last 16 with a 4-1 victory over Anthony McGill. This match was a repeat of their dramatic 2020 World Championship semi-final, which Wilson won by a narrow margin. Despite Wilson’s earlier loss to Ronnie O’Sullivan in that final, he secured his first World Championship title earlier this year and is now focused on his next challenge against either Barry Hawkins or Xu Si.
World number one Judd Trump continued his impressive season with a 4-1 win over Matthew Selt, maintaining his remarkable form with 17 wins out of 18 matches this season. Trump, who has already claimed titles at the Shanghai Masters and Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, will face Fan Zhengyi, who defeated Oliver Lines 4-1. In other matches, Ali Carter lost 4-2 to Wu Yize, while Mark Selby secured a 4-0 win over Joe O’Connor.
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