John Higgins says that his final frame defeat at the Tour Championship in Wales was “unforgivable” and praised Australian Neil Robertson for fighting back from 9-4 down to defend the title he won 12 months ago.
The final defeat in Llandudno on Sunday is Higgins’ fifth of the season, and would have been a merited victory for a player who knocked in five centuries during the tournament.
But he missed a yellow at 9-4 that could have led to a 10th and winning frame, and missed a crucial red as Robertson went on to seal victory.
It’s a bitter pill for Higgins to swallow, as he heads into the World Championships at the Crucible; while on form, the Wizard of Wishaw just doesn’t seem able to get over the line.
A clearly dejected Higgins said: “Every credit. Neil just came back and put me under unbelievable pressure and I just never stood up to it in the end.
“It’s unforgivable. You cannot miss that red that I have missed, when I have got a chance to maybe get a few points on the board, so what can you say?
“He played some amazing stuff to come back at me. here was one shot, it was 9-4 that I was in front, and I had him in all sorts of bother, and he’s potted a red.
“I thought that I had the match won, and I was thinking ‘I hope that doesn’t come back to bite me’ and it has. But what do you do – there’s worse things happening in life, aren’t there, so that’s it.”
Robertson praised Higgins and said: “Considering the opposition, it has to be the best comeback of my career.”
The World Championships take place in Sheffield from Saturday, April 16 to Sunday, May 2.
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