John Higgins marks return with superb tournament win
John Higgins made a sensational return to the snooker circuit by winning the Euro Players Tour Championship event five in Germany.
The three-time champion of the world was back in competitive action after serving a six-month ban after he was found guilty for failing to report a would-be corruptor to the sport after newspaper News of the World implicated him in a match-fixing scandal.
The last time Higgins played competitively, it was in the defeat to Steve Davis in the second round of the world championship back in April.
Higgins won seven matches impressively en route to becoming the 11th different winner of the 11 PTC events so far, defeating Shaun Murphy - the man he beat in 2009 to win his third world crown - 4-2 in the final.
The Wizard of Wishaw kicked off the final with a beautiful break of 132, and then doubled his lead with a 66. Murphy soon levelled the match with runs of 64 and 50.
Murphy was looking to be the first player to win two events in the series, but Higgins took control of the match by making a 95 and then made a 53 in the next frame.
“It was a good final. I only really missed one ball, when I should have gone 3-1 up,” said a buoyant Higgins. “I just came here hoping to get a few matches under my belt, so I'm delighted to win it.”
Whilst serving his ban, Higgins fell from world No.1 to No.4, but thanks to the win, he has climbed up to No.3.
Higgins admitted he was more nervous in returning to action after the ban than he was in his first world championship final, and even he didn’t think he would win the event after three days of action.
“I had to be realistic coming here as the other players had all been competing regularly for four or five months. I knew I was good enough to win it but I didn't expect that much,” said the 35-year-old. “The first match was the hardest and that was the worst I played, Joe Jogia had chances to beat me. After that I settled down and felt a lot better.
“The draw was bound to be hard as the standard is so high now. Martin Gould was a very tough match as he's the most improved player on the circuit, and then to beat two of the best in the world in Graeme Dott and Shaun in my last two matches was amazing really.
“Winning here gives me some confidence but there's a long way to go, I would have felt that whatever happened here. It has no real bearing on the rest of the season,” said Higgins.
Higgins was worried by the reception he would receive from the crowd and his fellow players, but was pleased with the way it turned out. “I'm delighted, not just for me but for my family and friends. The reception from the snooker community was exceptionally warm and encouraging,” he said.
“I didn't expect anything else. These are players I have known for years. They know John Higgins and I know them. I promised in September that I intended to pick up many more trophies, [this] is just the start,” Higgins added.
The fine start is the perfect tonic for Higgins.
Tags: