Cazoo Masters: China’s Zhao Xintong crashes out after first-round loss to John Higgins
- The Chinese ace showed early promise, but could not maintain momentum as Higgins pulled away
- Higgins will now face fellow veteran Mark Williams in the quarter-finals
John Higgins marked a record 28th appearance in snooker’s biggest invitation event by beating China’s Zhao Xintong 6-2 in the first round of the Cazoo Masters.
Zhao was making his debut in the event having leapt into the top 16 by winning the Cazoo UK Championship last month. The Chinese ace showed early promise with a century in the second frame, but could not maintain a foothold in the contest as his opponent pulled away.
The match opened with fireworks from both players as Higgins made a break of 100 in the opening frame then Zhao responded with a 128, the new front-runner for the US$20,000 high break prize. Zhao scored just 22 points in the next three frames as Higgins surged 4-1 ahead with a top run of 104.
Frame six went Zhao’s way but when he missed a risky long red in the seventh, trailing 24-8, he let Higgins in for a run of 30 which proved enough for 5-2. Two critical safety errors from Zhao in the eighth ended his hopes of a comeback, as Higgins punished him with breaks of 39 and 78 to seal the result.
“Zhao is such a special talent, he makes it look ridiculously easy, the way he strokes the ball in,” Higgins said. “I was just trying to make it difficult for him. He missed a couple that he usually wouldn’t miss and that gave me confidence, and I played pretty well. The table played well and it’s the best arena that anyone can play in.”