JOHN HIGGINS survived a funny tummy sparked by too many Chinese HOT POTS as he showed off his hot-potting on the table!
The Scotsman, 49, had a dodgy stomach as he knocked out Zhou Yuelong 5-4 from the last-16 of the Yushan event.
John Higgins survived a funny tummy sparked by too many Chinese hot pots[/caption]
During the past week in China, the world No.13 has been enjoying nights out at local restaurants where he has indulged in piping-hot liquid meat dishes.
The four-time world champion stopped worrying about the scoreline – he fell 4-2 down to Zhou – because he was doing everything possible to avoid rushing off to the loo during every frame.
Candid Higgo – who came from behind with breaks of 60, 74 and 72 – said: “I’ve got to be honest, I’ve not been feeling great all day.
“My stomach has been very bad. I’ve been enjoying the hot pots too many times.
“Listen, from 4-2 behind, it probably helped me. I was running…aye, it was really bad.
“It probably relaxed my mind because I wasn’t even thinking about the match.
“I was thinking about not running to the toilet. And that’s the God’s honest truth.
“It probably relaxed my mind, not thinking about the pressures of the game. Just the pressure of something else!
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“No hot pot this evening. Nothing. Just bread and water…”
Higgins now plays China’s No.26 seed Pang Junxu on Friday over the best of nine frames as he chases the £170,000 top prize.
It is a record-equalling 146th ranking event quarter-final, which sees him draw level with Ronnie O’Sullivan.
Higgins laughed: “Only one more to go. A 147 would be nice.
“Listen, it has been a good career, a long career, maybe that’s why I’ve been able to rack up a lot of numbers.
“I’m proud I’m still going. I still love competing. I really want to win one more big event. That’s what I am trying my hardest to do.
“It felt good to win here. As I have been on the wrong end of a lot of deciders lately.
“To win that was very pleasing. I am delighted. Zhou was looking really strong. A great win for me.”
Essex lad Zak Surety, 33, reached his first ranking quarter-final as he beat Liu Hongyu 5-2, scoring breaks of 97, 126, 86 and 65.
List of all-time Snooker World Champions
BELOW is a list of snooker World Champions by year.
The record is for the modern era, widely considered as dating from the 1968-69 season, when the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) took control of the sport.
The first World Championships ran from 1927 – with a break from 1941-45 because of World War II and 1958-63 because of a dispute in the sport.
Joe Davis (15), Fred Davis and John Pulman (both 8) were the most successful players during that period.
Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O’Sullivan share the record for the most titles in the modern era, with seven each.
- 1969 – John Spencer
- 1970 – Ray Reardon
- 1971 – John Spencer
- 1972 – Alex Higgins
- 1973 – Ray Reardon (2)
- 1974 – Ray Reardon (3)
- 1975 – Ray Reardon (4)
- 1976 – Ray Reardon (5)
- 1977 – John Spencer (2)
- 1978 – Ray Reardon (6)
- 1979 – Terry Griffiths
- 1980 – Cliff Thorburn
- 1981 – Steve Davis
- 1982 – Alex Higgins (2)
- 1983 – Steve Davis (2)
- 1984 – Steve Davis (3)
- 1985 – Dennis Taylor
- 1986 – Joe Johnson
- 1987 – Steve Davis (4)
- 1988 – Steve Davis (5)
- 1989 – Steve Davis (6)
- 1990 – Stephen Hendry
- 1991 – John Parrott
- 1992 – Stephen Hendry (2)
- 1993 – Stephen Hendry (3)
- 1994 – Stephen Hendry (4)
- 1995 – Stephen Hendry (5)
- 1996 – Stephen Hendry (6)
- 1997 – Ken Doherty
- 1998 – John Higgins
- 1999 – Stephen Hendry (7)
- 2000 – Mark Williams
- 2001 – Ronnie O’Sullivan
- 2002 – Peter Ebdon
- 2003 – Mark Williams (2)
- 2004 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (2)
- 2005 – Shaun Murphy
- 2006 – Graeme Dott
- 2007 – John Higgins (2)
- 2008 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (3)
- 2009 – John Higgins (3)
- 2010 – Neil Robertson
- 2011 – John Higgins (4)
- 2012 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (4)
- 2013 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (5)
- 2014 – Mark Selby
- 2015 – Stuart Bingham
- 2016 – Mark Selby (2)
- 2017 – Mark Selby (3)
- 2018 – Mark Williams (3)
- 2019 – Judd Trump
- 2020 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (6)
- 2021 – Mark Selby (4)
- 2022 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (7)
- 2023 – Luca Brecel
- 2024 – Kyren Wilson
Most World Titles (modern era)
- 7 – Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O’Sullivan
- 6 – Ray Reardon, Steve Davis
- 4 – John Higgins, Mark Selby
- 3 – John Spencer, Mark Williams
- 2 – Alex Higgins
