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Andrew Higginson

Andrew Higginson jumped 11 places up the ranking list after a solid 2009/10 season, finishing 32nd in the world; reaching the official top 32 for the first time in his career.
His best run – almost inevitably – came in the totesport.com Welsh Open at the Newport Centre, a venue where he has enjoyed some of the best results of his career.
After winning two matches to qualify, the Widnes Warrior beat Marco Fu to reach the last 16, where his run was ended by Mark Williams.
He also clocked up plenty of air miles by qualifying for the last 32 of the Roewe Shanghai Masters and Sanyuan Foods China Open. The season did end in disappointment, however, as Higginson lost 10-8 to surprise package Zhang Anda in the penultimate qualifying round of the Betfred.com World Snooker Championship.
A year earlier, he qualified for the Crucible for the first time in his career thanks to wins over Jamie Jones and Michael Judge.
He then gave Shaun Murphy a tough match at Sheffield but eventually lost 10-8. "It’s what we all dream of,” he said. “Having watched clips of all the players who have been there down the years, and then to walk through that little corridor into the arena, with all the lights shining, it was brilliant. It was everything I expected and more. But I was disappointed with my match - even though the 10-8 scoreline suggests it was close, it was an awful match. He was just a bit less bad than me.”
Higginson surpassed all his previous best efforts in 2007. After a run to the last 16 of the Malta Cup, at the time his best ranking performance, he went much further at the Welsh Open. Having seen off Passakorn Suwannawat, Scott MacKenzie and Drew Henry to get to Newport, the 29-year-old was in fine form. A 5-2 first round victory over Marco Fu was followed by wins against John Higgins and Michael Judge to surpass his achievement in Malta and reach his first ranking event quarter-final.
An emphatic 5-1 victory over Ali Carter, including a maximum in frame two that earnt him a cool £22,000, was succeeded by a semi-final win over Stephen Maguire and a first final appearance against Neil Robertson.
A 500-1 outsider at the beginning of the tournament, Higginson had a slow start and trailed 6-2 but remarkably recovered to lead 8-6. But his brilliant run finished in anti-climax as Robertson recovered to take the last three frames.
"When I got to 8-6 I thought this is my time. Then he made a couple of great breaks to go 8-8. In a decider it’s anyone’s," said Higginson. "It’s been the best week of my life and I’m climbing up the rankings which is brilliant. I have always known I am good enough, I just needed a run like this to get me going. I want it to continue."
Higginson, twice North West Champion in his amateur days, supports Liverpool FC and enjoys music by The Doves.

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