GettyJohn Higgins hit an incredible fluke during his 6-5 win over Chris Wakelin in the Players Championship[/caption]
Trailing by four frames to three, Higgins had to pull off some magic in order to win the eighth frame and pull the scores level.
Caught in a battle of safeties with neither player wanting to blow the table open for the other, Higgins tried to put Wakelin in a sticky situation with a delicate tap off a red and onto a cushion.
Instead, the cue ball ricocheted off the cushion and right into the middle of another red, subsequently sending it through a tiny gap between the blue and green and into a pocket on the other end of the table.
The unbelievable fluke had the commentator for the tense clash saying: “Oh surely not! Wow! That’s the third fluke we have seen in a few frame, and potentially the biggest.
“And one of the most extraordinary as well.”
The fluke set Higgins up to win the marathon eighth frame, which took an hour and seven minutes to complete.
That frame ultimately set Higgins on a run that saw him win the match 6-5 to advance to the quarter-finals.
Speaking after the tense tie, he said: “When things start to go for you, then you believe you will get another chance.
X @WeAreWSTHiggins was aiming to hit a safety shot in the eighth frame[/caption]
X @WeAreWSTThe cue ball clipped a red before hitting into the cushion[/caption]
X @WeAreWSTIt bounced off and hit another red square on[/caption]
X @WeAreWSTThat ball then found its way through a tiny gap between the blue and green[/caption]
X @WeAreWSTIt somehow snuck into the pocket[/caption]
“I fancied something to happen because I’m on a good run.
“If I hadn’t won that event and I was struggling for confidence, Chris may well have cleared up there.
Emotional moment snooker star Stuart Bingham points to sky during 147 attempt after tragic deaths of three loved ones
BINGHAM'S TOUCHING MOMENT
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“It is a crazy game. You have to enjoy it when things are going for you. There are more downs in this game than there are ups.
“I was trying my hardest but Chris was playing really well. He is such a clever player. You can tell he has spent many years practising with Mark Selby. It was a great win for me.”
Now Higgins will face Xiao Guodong in the quarter-final on Friday in a bid to win the £150,000 prize for the tournament winner.
FOLLOW ALL THE ACTION OF THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP HERE
