Defending champion John Higgins resisted a late surge from Mark Williams to secure a 10-8 victory in the opening round of the Tour Championship in Manchester.
Higgins, a four-time world champion, made a sluggish start as world number four Williams claimed the first two frames, highlighted by an impressive 121 break. That early setback, however, seemed to ignite the 50-year-old Scot, who responded in dominant fashion by reeling off seven consecutive frames to seize control.
Williams, 51, refused to fade, mounting a comeback by taking four of the next frames to narrow the gap to 7-6. Higgins steadied himself with a superb 110 break to restore a two-frame advantage, but the contest remained finely poised. Breaks of 107 and 76 from Williams brought the match level at 8-8, setting up a tense finish.
Despite the Welshmanโs resurgence, Higgins held firm in the closing stages, winning the final two frames to seal his place in the quarter-finals. He will now face Mark Selby, who progressed automatically after receiving a first-round bye.
In other matches, Barry Hawkins defeated in-form Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 10-8 to set up a clash with Neil Robertson. Un-Nooh had qualified for the event following his notable victory over Ronnie O’Sullivan in the World Open final earlier in the month.
Meanwhile, Chris Wakelin overcame Wu Yize 10-6 and will meet Zhao Xintong in the last eight.
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