John Higgins

Biography
John Higgins (born May 18, 1975, Wishaw, North Lanarkshire) is a Scottish professional snooker player.

Higgins turned professional in 1992. Still in his teens, he won three ranking tournaments and reached the final of the Masters in the 1994/95 season. His 1997/98 season was also successful as he won the World Championship and two other ranking titles, reaching the number one spot in the world rankings. The following season he retained this position by winning the two other major titles: the UK Championship and the Masters.

In the early 2000s Higgins was dominating snooker, as Stephen Hendry had done throughout the 1990s, but fierce competition from other players, notably Mark Williams, saw him knocked off the top spot after only two seasons. However, the start of the 2001/02 season was to be a record-breaking one for Higgins as he became the first player to win the opening three tournaments of the season: the Champions Cup, the Regal Masters and the British Open.

This impressive run came to an end as John's wife gave birth to their first son, Pierce, in 2001. Fatherhood had a big effect on John and he struggled with his concentration; his form dropped and he was left without a trophy for a number of seasons. He no longer practises with the intensity that he did when he became world champion and world number one. Higgins is thought to be one of the best match players ever, but there is a consensus that he lacks the mental strength and self-belief of players like Hendry and Williams.

In late 2004, John's wife gave birth to their second son, Oliver. He had a stronger 2004/05 season, winning the British Open for the fourth time. In the final of the 2005 Grand Prix, Higgins became the first player to make four consecutive century breaks in a ranking tournament, scoring 103, 104, 138 and 128 against Ronnie O'Sullivan. In the process, he scored a record 494 points without reply from his opponent. He went on to defeat Ronnie 10-9 in the Saga Insurance Masters, in what many consider one of the greatest finals ever played in any snooker tournament. In the deciding frame, Ronnie made a break of 60 before running out of position, and Higgins made a winning clearance of 64 to win the title. He also reached the final of the Malta Cup and looks set to return to the top four in the rankings at the end of the 2005/06 season. After reaching the China Open final, he is second in the provisional rankings behind Hendry. Higgins had a disappointing end to a highly successful season when he lost his first-round match at the World Championship to Mark Selby—a player whom he had beaten at the same stage of the 2005 event—10 frames to 4.

Higgins' strength is his combination of superb break-building, technique, and outstanding safety and tactical play. These skills have seen him become one of the top five most successful players in snooker history.

Tournament Wins

 * World Championships: 1 (1998)
 * UK Championships: 2 (1998, 2000)
 * Grand Prix: 3 (1994-95, 2005)
 * British Open: 4 (1995, 1998, 2001, 2004)
 * Welsh Open: 1 (2000)
 * China Open: 1 (1998)
 * International Open: 2 (1995-96)
 * German Open: 2 (1995, 1997)
 * European Open/Malta Cup: 1 (1997)
 * The Masters: 2 (1999, 2006)
 * Irish Masters: 2 (2000, 2002)

Rankings

 * World Number 1: 1998-99, 2001
 * Highest Ranking: 1

Breaks

 * Century Breaks:
 * Highest Break: 147 (x5)

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Professional Career: 1992-

Date of Birth: 18/05/1975

Place of Birth: Wishaw, North Lanarkshire

Nationality: Scotland

Nicknames: The Wizard of Wishaw

Current World Ranking: 3

World Ranking Event Titles: 16

Other Titles: 5

Rivals: Stephen Hendry (Scotland), [[Ronnie O'Sullivan (England), Mark Williams (Wales)