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John Higgins reveals 'massive' change as he makes winning start at the Scottish Open
John Higgins has revealed a 'massive' change behind his impressive recent performances.
The Wizard of Wishaw saw off Ian Burns 4-2 in the opening round of snooker's Scottish Open at Edinburgh's Meadowbank Sports Centre, with the world number 14 having to maintain maximise concentration against an opponent ranked 69 places below him who played some impressive snooker. The victory comes off the back of Higgins' defeat to world number one Judd Trump - who will not compete in Edinburgh - at the UK Championships, after a mammoth game that lasted more than five hours.
And Higgins revealed that a change in the size of his cue tip has him playing with confidence. Speaking to former pro Alan McManus on Eurosport after the victory, Higgins said: "I signed up to a Chinese company like Mark Williams who have made me a few cues. Obviously they’ve got to be good cues before I would use them. I went to the factory after the last Chinese event and picked one up, and it was absolutely beautiful.
"I’ve gone back to a smaller tip and that’s why I’m getting a bit more bite on the white. In the last few years I’ve been getting a 9.7mm or 9.8mm diameter tip. And it’s not good enough for these tables. It’s massive. It doesn’t sound much but I’m down to 9.4mm or 9.5mm. Which is pretty similar to what a lot of the tours are on. I’m really happy with it.
"I’ve tinkered all these years. It would be different if I’d stuck with one cue all these years. But I’ve not."
Higgins, his 30th year as a professional, also said that he's struggling to concentrate on the practice table - but is relishing an 84th meeting with old foe Ronnie O'Sullivan at next month's Masters, adding: "I was in the house with the family and said that I fancied getting Ronnie. And it came out.
"I’m looking forward to it because you don’t know many more times that you’re going to play there. I’ve not played Ronnie in a while, it should be a good occasion. I’ll try and have good occasions in this tournament first. But it’s one in the memory bank to look forward to.
"I keep thinking positively about the game and don’t get too downhearted. We’re still playing to a good level at this age, so I just roll with it and do my best. There’s a lot of travel, but I can’t practice now. My mind can’t focus as much. I still like to give the boys a game, but the solo practice can catch you out a bit sometimes."
