‘Still got it’: John Higgins edges Mark Allen with classic Crucible clearance

John Higgins executed an exceptional performance at the Crucible, resulting in Mark Allen's defeat with a score of 13-12. This impressive game allowed John to progress to the quarter-finals for the 18th time throughout his career.

Entering the final portion of the game with a deficit of 62 points, the professional snooker player who has won the world championship four times displayed remarkable composure by executing a flawless shot on a red ball to the middle pocket. He followed this up by potting another red ball along the top cushion, which was hailed by Stephen Hendry, providing commentary for the British Broadcasting Corporation, as one of the greatest shots he has ever witnessed. Higgins capped off his astonishing performance by sinking the remaining colored balls to score a remarkable 71 points and emerge victorious from the game.

In a conversation with the BBC following his triumph, a visibly moved Higgins remarked that the clearance he executed to win the match was likely the greatest of his whole profession. Despite all the hardships he has endured in the last few years, he performed exceptionally well under immense pressure. In fact, he felt fantastic and made up his mind to hit the double.

After defeating the world No 3, the 48-year-old player expressed confidence in his skills by saying, "I believe I can still perform well." This win also secured his position in the top 16 for the upcoming season, but he emphasized that this was not his main goal. He revealed his love for playing and competing in this event and claimed to perform exceptionally well even in tense situations.

Higgins was losing 9-7 in the game, and then he fell even further behind. But suddenly, he made a strong comeback that he's known for - this victory means that Allen still hasn't won a world championship. In the next round, Higgins will play against Kyren Wilson. During the afternoon session, Wilson won the three frames he needed to get a 13-6 victory over Joe O'Connor.

Stuart Bingham, who won the championship in 2015, won the last two frames and defeated Jack Lisowski 13-11. As a consequence, he earned a spot in the quarter-finals against Ronnie O'Sullivan. Lisowski had managed to tie the game with two breaks of 88 and 123, but Bingham, who had to fight through qualification after dropping below the top 16, remained composed under pressure and was able to keep his hope of winning a second title alive.

O'Sullivan is still on course to win his eighth Crucible championship title after defeating Ryan Day with a 13-7 score. He entered the third session of his second-round match with a 10-6 lead and managed to win three out of four frames in a little over an hour on Monday afternoon to advance to the quarterfinals. This victory brings him one step closer to achieving his goal.

O'Sullivan, who has triumphed in 41 ranking tournaments, is set to face Bingham to secure a spot in the semi-finals. After defeating Day, O'Sullivan spoke to the BBC and shared his experience of struggling for a long time, saying, "I've been in a difficult situation for two years, but I've kept it to myself and not spoken about it much."

In the blog post, O'Sullivan shared his experience of going through a difficult phase. He revealed that he had to resort to taking medication to deal with his anxiety and other related issues. He expressed how playing the game could sometimes have a negative impact on his emotional well-being and didn't want to continue experiencing that.

I have experienced some thrill in the past few weeks as I improved my ball skills. Unfortunately, my progress came to a halt, and I feel disappointed. It's not satisfactory to perform well for just one game or tournament, but it is essential to maintain it for a long time, preferably for some months or even a year. I played remarkably well for three years previously, and I did not have a bad day. Hence, it is possible to do so, and it only requires getting everything right.

In the upcoming matches of the snooker tournament, David Gilbert from England will compete against Stephen Maguire from Scotland. Kyren Wilson representing England and holding the 12th position, will play against John Higgins from Scotland who holds the 13th position. Judd Trump from England and placed at position three, will be up against Jak Jones from Wales. Meanwhile, Stuart Bingham from England will play against Ronnie O'Sullivan from England who is currently holding the 2nd position.

During the third session, O'Sullivan capitalized on Day's missed opportunities in the first frame by winning a closely contested one 62-57, increasing his lead to 11-6. He then extended his lead even further by executing an impressive 85-point break in the next frame, bringing him within one frame of securing a spot in the quarterfinals.

The player who had won the championship seven times had to be patient while Day won the third round 94-5. However, O'Sullivan won the game easily in the next round and progressed to the quarter-finals.