• Players Championship

Higgins to meet 'unstoppable' Fu in Preston last eight

ESPN staff
March 27, 2014
John Higgins is wary of Marco Fu and has described him as unstoppable © Getty Images
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John Higgins raced into the quarter-finals of the Players Championship Grand Final with a 4-2 win over Ben Woollaston at Preston's Guild Hall.

The four-time world champion made a top break of 56 in his victory and will now face Marco Fu in the last eight, who hit breaks of 89 and 72 in his 4-2 win against Mark Williams.

"I'm feeling ten times better with my game, even if I do lose I'm feeling better and that's the main thing," Higgins told worldsnooker.com. "I got the bits of luck and Ben got a few kicks at crucial moments, but that's what happens in these best of sevens.

"Marco's been the next best player behind Ronnie [O'Sullivan], Ding [Junhui] and [Neil] Robertson this year consistently. He always goes under the radar. People inside snooker know how good he is and when he gets on a roll he's virtually unstoppable."

Mark Allen had to come from a frame down to see off Fergal O'Brien 4-1, enjoying visits of 113, 54, 75 and 66 on his way to a quarter-final place.

"It's never easy against Fergal, I practise with him and he gives every shot the same concentration," Allen said. "He gives nothing away and I knew he would make it tough for me. I felt a bit edgy at the start but I'm happy with the way I played.

Joe Perry made a top break of 128 as well as a 98 in his 4-1 win against David Gilbert.

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