Macguire closes in on final
Higgins needs seven frames for victory
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Friday, 04, May 2007 10:11
Stephen Macguire leads John Higgins 13-10 in the semi-finals of the World Championship.
In the battle of the Scots, Macguire edged ahead against the 1998 world champion to move within four frames of victory.
Macguire edged the opening frame of the second session before Higgins responded with a break of 90 to level.
He went ahead after a break of 63 but Higgins hit back by taking the next two frames to edge ahead 7-6.
Macguire took the next two frames to move back into the lead before Higgins clinched the last frame of the session.
In the evening session, Macguire made a bright start with a break of 34 and 58 to take frame 17.
A frustrated Higgins needed five attempts to get out of a snooker and eventually lost the frame 0-111.
In a thrilling frame 18, Macguire made 60 before bad position put Higgins back in control.
The 31-year-old made 50 before rattling the black into the jaw to give his opponent another chance.
Macguire sunk the long-range black but the cue rolled agonisingly into the green pocket to give Higgins the frame and prompted the rising star to drop his cue and walk out of the arena in anger.
But Macguire picked himself up and fired a break of 82 to take a 10-9 lead.
Frame 20 lasted over 50 minutes with neither player making a pot for a 20-minute spell, with Macguire eventually seizing the initiative by clearing up the colours to take a two-frame lead.
Macguire racked up his 17th century of the tournament with a break of 131 to increase his lead to 12-9 in frame 21.
But Higgins hit back with a breathtaking long pot on a red on his way to a 134 clearance to reduce the deficit before Macguire responded by taking frame 23 to close in on the final.