John Higgins 'was playing like' Jimmy White, will be 'delighted' to have levelled first session of World Championship semi-final with Shaun Murphy

John Higgins will be ”delighted” to have got out of the opening session of his World Championship semi-final at the Crucible in Sheffield with Shaun Murphy at 4-4.

Jimmy White was in the TNT Sports studio to analyse the first session, and the six-time World Championship finalist said Higgins was ”playing like me” for large parts of Thursday afternoon.

Murphy was comfortably the better of the two for much of the session, but from 3-1 in front he too began to falter.

Higgins trailed Ronnie O’Sullivan and Neil Robertson after the opening session earlier in the tournament, but the four-time winner dug in against Murphy to get out of the afternoon on level terms.

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”There were so many mistakes and unforced errors [from both players], so they will forget about that one and be pleased to be 4-4,” White said. 

Looking at a replay of a Higgins miss of a red, White added: ”It’s an incredible miss, he has completely come across the ball. Another one here, his arm has gone inside.”

Higgins got through tough matches with O’Sullivan and Robertson, the latter of which finished late on Wednesday evening, and White felt a lack of freshness could have played a part.

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”Maybe John is a little bit fatigued, a bit tired,” said White, who then referenced a shocking missed blue by Murphy - described on commentary by Neal Foulds as ”one of the misses of the Championship" - as a "turning point" in the session.

”This blue could be a massive turning point,” White said. ”He is only eight behind, but John Higgins at that point was playing like me - he couldn't pot a ball.”

From 3-1 down, Higgins won three of the final four frames to split the session and White was impressed with the Scot’s battling qualities.

'That is beautiful' - Higgins slides red past pink to make pot

Video credit: TNT Sports

”This was just John Higgins,” White said. ”It’s why he is such a fantastic competitor. It is all there.

”It was maybe one of those sessions where they did not settle and were confused that they made so many mistakes. They are human.

”It is one of those sessions, they will be ‘it’s finished 4-4, let's forget about it.’”

Higgins made his only half-century of the session in the eighth to level the contest.

”John Higgins from 3-1 down and the way he was playing will be delighted,” White said. ”There have been a lot of mistakes so far.

”Because they have both played so well to get where they are, they are maybe a bit apprehensive and never settled.”

Reanne Evans offered a possible excuse for the two players who were facing a new setup, with the Crucible now with only one table in the arena.

”Everything they have missed has been thick, so maybe the table is playing a bit heavy,” Evans said.

”They have got the first session out of the way, the nerves might have been jangling a bit.”

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