John Higgins is going from strength to strength recently. First he won the China Championship, then the Champion and Champions last Saturday and has just made a 147 break at the Northern Ireland trophy to beat Sam Craigie.
It was a beautiful break which he had to work for. Higgins had to double the final red to keep his hopes for a 147 open. Not only did he make a 147, but he also made breaks of 137 and 130 to win 4-1.
John Higgins is tipped to win this week especially his form continues for the rest of the week. Last Saturday he beat Ronnie O’Sullivan 10-7 in a epic final at the Champion of Champions making it his second consecutive win in a row. This is the best snooker Higgins has played in many years and snooker fans are delighted to see him back at his very best.
Elsewhere, Luca Brecel, Fergal O’Brien, Josh Boileau, and Peter Ebdon have all progressed. Ebdon almost made a 147 himself but lost position on the final yellow.
This afternoon, Mark Allen is up against Michael Georgiou in his second round match. Allen is one of the top seeds here this week as his dream is to win a tournament on his home soil. Allen overcame Mark Joyce last night in a grudge match.
Later this evening, two of snooker’s biggest stars will be going at it in their second round match. Best friends Ronnie O’Sullivan and Jimmy White have been crowd pleasers for many decades. Tonight they clash at the Northern Ireland Open in front a packed out arena.
Clearly the odds are firmly on Ronnie O’Sullivan but the Whirlwind can never be totally ruled out of any match. These pair play regularly at exhibitions so it will be interesting to see how they play together in a ranking event.
