World Snooker Championship 2025: John Higgins Pays Tribute to Long-Lasting Rivalry with Mark Williams

Scottish snooker legend John Higgins continued his career renaissance in dramatic style, booking his place in the quarterfinals of the 2025 World Snooker Championship with a thrilling 13-12 victory over one of this season’s breakout stars, China’s Xiao Guodong.

In a match that lasted more than 10 hours of play, the first-to-13 encounter remained fiercely close throughout. Higgins never held more than a two-frame lead at any point. After edging 3-1 ahead in the early stages, he was pegged back and didn’t regain a two-frame cushion until leading 12-10. 

Xiao, showing great resilience, pulled a frame back to trail just 12-11 heading into the final stages.

Match Spills into Four Sessions

Drama soon unfolded behind the scenes too. Their scheduled third and final session, which began promptly at 10am, ran long — concluding just after 2pm and brushing dangerously close to the 2.30pm start of the next session. Because the match wasn’t completed within the allotted time, both players were forced to return for a rare fourth session at the Crucible, once one of the evening matches finished.

After Luca Brecel raced into a 7-1 lead against Ding Junhui, Higgins and Xiao resumed battle at just after 9pm.

What followed was a nerve-shredding finish. A composed Xiao forced a deciding frame after the Wizard missed a tricky pink, then fouled by potting the pink and gifting his opponent a free ball.

But when it mattered most, Higgins' legendary experience shone through. He produced a superb break of 75 to finally seal the win and book his quarterfinal spot.

Deciding Frame Pressure 

It also marked an astonishing personal record: Higgins has now won nine out of his 10 Crucible deciders — one of the most impressive stats in the venue’s storied history.

When informed of the stat after the match, Higgins was left almost in disbelief.

“I don’t know. I just always feel like I’ve fell down a little bit in deciding frames. I really don’t know, but that’s a very good stat to have and one I’m certain to hold onto,” he told SportsBoom.co.uk. 

Asked how he handled the pressure of that final frame, Higgins admitted his nerves had been greater a frame earlier.

“I actually felt more pressure in the frame before the last one."

"I didn’t feel as much pressure at all, I was thinking, what is the worst that can happen, you’ve had a good season, worst things are happening in life."

Reflecting on the marathon contest, Higgins praised both his opponent and the atmosphere at the Crucible.

"To be honest, I thoroughly enjoyed the three sessions, well four sessions in the end. It was such a tough match to be involved in, I thought Xiao played very very well. It was just punch for punch."

A Love Letter to the Crucible 

Higgins also spoke movingly about how much the Crucible still means to him — and how he’ll treasure the memories whenever his playing career finally comes to a close.

“Whenever I wasn’t at the table I was just sitting down savouring the crowd. It’s a special, special place to be involved in these big matches. And I will miss it when I’m no longer playing the game because nights are special nights.”

2,000 Frames Milestone – and a Nod to O’Sullivan 

Amid the chaos, Higgins quietly reached another milestone — playing his 2,000th frame at the Crucible. Only Ronnie O’Sullivan, widely regarded as the sport’s greatest player, has achieved that before.

Yet true to his understated nature, Higgins barely acknowledged the achievement — instead, he immediately wanted to know how many frames O’Sullivan had played.

“Did I? 2,000 frames, is it? How many has Ronnie played?”

“My god, that’s incredible isn’t it,” he simply said, when informed of O’Sullivan’s 2,130 total.

This latest win also saw Higgins reach his 19th Crucible quarterfinal — a Scottish record-equalling feat, matching the great Stephen Hendry. Only O’Sullivan, with 22 quarterfinal appearances (potentially 23 by the end of the tournament), has reached more.

Class of '92 Showdown: Higgins vs Williams

Awaiting Higgins in the next round is a true clash of the titans — a showdown against his fellow 'Class of 92' icon, Mark Williams. Over the decades, the two have contested some of snooker’s most memorable matches, and this next chapter promises to be another classic.

Speaking about his long-running rivalry with Williams, Higgins reflected fondly on how their relationship has evolved.

“25 years ago, we could have been playing here, and we’d have been big, big rivals. Now I think we just walk into the practise room, and we give each other a nod as to say we’re doing all right.”

“There’s great young talents coming through that are involved in the game now, and to think we are both still fighting with them which is great to testament to us.”

“We played the 2018 final here, which was an unbelievable occasion. He’s just an unbelievable champion; I just can’t wait. I’ll go out and enjoy it. If I win, great, if I don’t, I’ll shake his hand and wish he goes on as well.”

And finally, when asked about the remarkable fact that he and Williams now have a combined age of 99 yet remain at the very top, Higgins gave a typically humble response.

“I suppose it doesn’t really surprise you I don’t think.”