John Higgins held off an early scare to avoid a shock exit at the World Snooker Championship on Monday, battling past Ali Carter to secure his place in the second round at the Crucible.
The four-time world champion made a flying start, racing into a 4–0 lead in the opening session. However, momentum quickly shifted as Carter won five consecutive frames, leaving Higgins trailing 5–4 overnight.
When play resumed, Higgins regained control and produced a strong response, eventually sealing a 10–7 victory to set up a possible second-round meeting with Ronnie O’Sullivan.
Despite the relatively comfortable final scoreline, Carter appeared frustrated after the match. In his post-match comments, he suggested Higgins had benefitted from good fortune, claiming that whenever Higgins missed, he managed to escape punishment something Carter felt did not happen for him.
Those remarks did not go unnoticed. Higgins, having overheard the interview, responded during a BBC appearance, arguing the match could have been decided much earlier if Carter had not enjoyed a slice of luck himself, referencing a fluked blue that prevented Higgins from building a commanding lead.
While Higgins maintained his respect for Carter’s ability, he made it clear he was unimpressed by the suggestion that luck had defined the outcome.
With the exchange unlikely to linger for long, Higgins now turns his focus to a far sterner test in the next round as the tournament intensifies.
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