The Wizard is Back: John Higgins Ends Ally Pally Hoodoo After Being Inspired by Daughter’s L-Plate Victory
The “Wizard of Wishaw” had more than one reason to celebrate this week at Alexandra Palace. Just hours before stepping onto the baize for his opening-round clash with Barry Hawkins, John Higgins received the news that his 17-year-old daughter, Claudia, had successfully passed her driving test.
The 50-year-old Scot admitted the family milestone put him in the perfect headspace to snap a three-year streak of first-round exits at the Masters. “My daughter passed her driving test yesterday—so I was delighted with that,” Higgins told SunSport. “Everything else was a bonus. She has a car already!”
With the pressure off, Higgins turned back the clock with a long-potting masterclass.
The Score: Higgins dispatched the ever-dangerous Barry Hawkins 6-2.
The Stats: The four-time World Champion was in ruthless scoring form, racking up breaks of 50, 71, 53, 99, and 58.
Expert Verdict: Seven-time World Champion Stephen Hendry, who celebrated his 57th birthday while on commentary duties for the BBC, was left in awe: “Higgins is hitting the long balls and his cue action is just flawless. He is playing to a very, very high standard.”
Higgins’ victory was part of a statistical anomaly that has left the snooker world stunned. His win was the sixth consecutive match in the tournament to finish with a 6-2 scoreline. The streak eventually extended to include all eight first-round matches—a 20,000,000-to-1 freak occurrence that has become the talk of the tournament.
While Higgins was celebrating his daughter’s success, Kyren Wilson was celebrating a different kind of milestone. After a devastating opening-round loss at the UK Championship, Wilson bounced back with his own 6-2 win over Si Jiahui.
The Secret Weapon: Wilson credited a “new cue” and the raucous Ally Pally crowd for helping him find his self-belief again. “When you can’t trust what you’re using, you have no chance,” Wilson admitted.
Having ended his first-round hoodoo, John Higgins looks like a man transformed. Between his daughter’s new independence on the road and his own “flawless” cueing, the veteran Scot is once again a major threat for the Triple Crown.