Four-time world champion John Higgins stormed off the table at the International Championship in Nanjing after being told his quarter-final match would be suspended until later in the day.
The Scottish snooker legend appeared to say “f*** off” and threw his arm up in anger when informed his clash with Chris Wakelin would need to be completed later in the day with the score deadlocked at 5-5.
The match was into its fourth hours as Wakelin clinched the 10th frame to take the game into a one-frame shoot-out.
The dramatic moment came after Higgins had deliberately knocked in the pink ball to concede the tenth frame, bringing the score to 5-5.
Higgins sat back down in his chair to get ready for the final frame, but was furious when informed the match would not be finished in the afternoon session.
With another match scheduled just 35 minutes later on the same table, and frames potentially taking up to 45 minutes to complete, organisers were forced to postpone the decisive frame.
The decision was made to accommodate the venue’s schedule and allow time for spectators to move between matches.
John Higgins was not happy
EUROSPORT
This wasn’t the first time Higgins had faced such an interruption at the tournament.
Just the previous day, his match against Haotian Lyu had been similarly suspended when their encounter overran.
That match, which Higgins eventually won 6-5, had to be completed after the evening session due to scheduling constraints.
The repeated disruptions appeared to have tested the 49-year-old’s patience, culminating in his dramatic reaction.
The match commentator captured the intensity of the moment, stating: “Oh! Well Higgins has just been told that’s it and you saw his reaction.”
“I’ve got to assume that’s the end of proceedings and, for the second day running, Higgins will be coming back after the end of the evening session to finish this match off,” the commentator added.
“You saw what the four-time world champion thought of that!” the commentator concluded, highlighting the Scot’s evident frustration.
Earlier in the match, Higgins had displayed notably slow play during the eighth frame.
The Scot spent over two minutes contemplating a single shot on the black, methodically trying different rest options.
John Higgins was NOT happy about his match against Chris Wakelin being suspended until after the evening session at the #InternationalChampionship. ðŸ˜
At 5-5, the pair will play the deciding frame later today. pic.twitter.com/7LFBcpXV0a
— Eurosport (@eurosport) November 7, 2024
He repeatedly consulted with the referee while attempting to line up the difficult shot.
After testing various equipment, Higgins finally opted for a spider rest and successfully potted the black, drawing applause from the Nanjing crowd.
The match between Higgins and Wakelin eventually got back underway after Ding Junhui beat Kyren Wilson 6-4 in their quarter-final.
Higgins took an early lead, but a break of 62 from Wakelin was enough to secure his spot in the next round.
John Higgins ended up losing the decider
EUROSPORT