Snooker: Higgins hoping to join 'greats'
John Higgins is determined to win this year’s Embassy World Championship so that he can be mentioned in the same breath as the game’s great players.
The 25-year-old Scot does not believe his 1998 Crucible triumph alone entitles him to be ranked alongside legends such as Ray Reardon, Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry.
Indeed, a second title may still not be enough for the ‘Wizard of Wishaw’, who has yet to really emerge from the shadow of his compatriot Hendry.
But if Higgins can go on to capture snooker’s most prestigious trophy and the £250,000 first prize on Monday, it will still be a mighty achievement considering the calibre of opposition left in the tournament.
In the semi-finals, he faces Matthew Stevens of Wales, the 13-5 conqueror of Hendry who earned the highest praise from the former world number one after his victory.
And even if he overcomes that test, Higgins may have to try and ground Ronnie O’Sullivan depending on the outcome of the Rocket’s clash with Northern Ireland’s Joe Swail.
Neither match will be remotely easy, but Higgins, an emphatic 13-6 quarter-final victor over Ken Doherty, is determined that this will again be his year.
‘‘I’m definitely in it to win it,’’ said the world number two. ‘‘I think if you can win the World Championship two or three times you can be classed as a true great in the game."
