Higgins leads 5-3 in World Championship semi-finals, Wilson eye-catching with 140 points
On the evening of May 3, Beijing time, the 2018 World Snooker Championship entered the semi-finals. Wilson and Higgins took the lead. In the first stage, Higgins took a 3-0 lead and was overtaken by Wilson. However, at the end of the first eight games, Higgins ensured a 5-3 lead. At this stage, Wilson showed his determination not to admit defeat with a smooth 140 points, which laid a good foundation for the subsequent counterattack.
This year’s World Championships, when the major favorites fell one after another, Wilson, who had not been optimistic before, broke out. In the last round, he defeated this year’s Masters champion Mark Allen with a big score of 13-6, breaking into the top 4 of the World Championships for the first time in his career. Wilson has therefore become the first post-90s player to enter the Crucible semi-finals, and the title of “Little King” is worthy of the name.
Four-time World Championship champion Higgins didn’t have much trouble in the first two rounds. However, in the last round, No. 4 seed Trump created a lot of danger for him. In the end, Higgins made a late attack and passed 13-12.
The two sides have played against each other three times in official occasions. Higgins wins and loses. Among them, it was Higgins in the quarter-finals of last year’s World Championships that blocked Wilson’s way 13-6. Meeting again after a year, whether Wilson can complete his revenge is worth looking forward to.
The semi-finals adopt a 17-win system of 33 rounds, divided into four stages, with eight rounds in the first three stages. In the first stage, Higgins took the lead in the game, with a single shot of 57, 65 and 77 points in a single wave of small climaxes, and made a strong opening 3-0.
Higgins had the opportunity to continue to expand his advantage. In the 4th game, the two sides fought hard to the final colored ball, and Wilson scored the last red ball to complete the over-point. Higgins scored the necessary penalties through an excellent snooker, but in the last five colored balls, they missed the top pocket on the right and Wilson seized this opportunity to finally win the game.
After the rest, Wilson was like a different person. He who made frequent mistakes disappeared and was replaced by a real warrior. In the 5th inning, Wilson shot an angry shot. Although a 61-point shot was reversed by Higgins with a 69-point shot, he had already released a positive signal.
As expected, Wilson scored 52 points and 140 points in a single stroke, and the total score was reduced to 3-4, only one game.
In the last game of the first stage, Higgins quickly missed the blue ball. Wilson scored 44 points in a row and also dropped a less difficult red ball in the same pocket, missing the perfect opportunity to tie the score. In the end, the experienced Higgins won the game 56-44, leading Wilson 5-3 in the first eight games. The second stage of the match between the two sides will be held at 17:00 on May 4th, Beijing time.
Signature: Star Billiards
