Snooker veteran John Higgins has revealed an unusual secret behind his brilliant run to the semi-finals of the 2026 Masters tournament in London: immersing himself in the city's musical theatre scene.
A Historic Run at 50
At 50 years old, John Higgins has become the oldest player to reach the Masters semi-finals since 1983. The Scot, known as the Wizard of Wishaw, secured his place in the last four after a dramatic 6-5 quarter-final victory over reigning world champion Zhao Xintong on Thursday afternoon.
Higgins began his campaign with a superb 6-2 win over Barry Hawkins. His clash with Zhao was an epic contest, which seemed to be slipping away when the Chinese star took a 5-3 lead. However, Higgins staged a remarkable comeback, regrouping and capitalising on key moments, including an aggressive shot on the final red that Zhao missed in the deciding frame.
Luck and a New Mindset
The four-time world champion openly admitted that fortune played its part in his quarter-final triumph. "I was so lucky in the second to last frame. I tried a plant, butchered it and fluked it," Higgins told the BBC. He added, "When I went 5-3 down, it was criminal the luck that I got."
Beyond the rub of the green, Higgins credits a new, relaxed approach to his continued success at the highest level. When asked by TNT Sports how he maintains such strong form at 50, he explained his current philosophy is simply to enjoy the experience.
The West End Prescription
This enjoyment has taken a distinctly theatrical turn. Instead of intense pre-match preparation, Higgins has been filling his time in London with trips to the West End. He attended a performance of 'Just For One Day', the musical about Live Aid, with his wife Denise on Wednesday, deliberately not touching his cue that day.
"I just thought I'm enjoying it, come down, have a day away from it and come over and get ready to play today," Higgins said. The snooker legend and self-confessed musical fan also revealed plans to try and get tickets for the ABBA Voyage show, and had already seen 'The Devil Wears Prada' before his first-round match, where he admitted he was "nearly falling asleep."
"Normally you come down here and you get yourself in the dressing room and you try and get yourself up for the match and it can go the opposite way. So I just felt, come down and enjoy it," he stated, summarising his successful new strategy.
Respect from the Champion
World champion Zhao Xintong, who was aiming to complete snooker's Triple Crown after winning the World and UK Championships, was gracious in defeat. "John Higgins played really well today, played some amazing shots," said the 28-year-old. "The last two frames he got some luck and came back. Snooker is always like that so no problem."
Higgins, in turn, praised his young opponent's talent, predicting a dominant future. "He's going to be here for another 20 years winning these big events, so he maybe felt sorry for the old man," he joked.
John Higgins now awaits the winner of the quarter-final between Judd Trump and Mark Allen. The other last-eight ties feature an all-Chinese clash between Wu Yize and Xiao Guodong, and a match between Neil Robertson and Kyren Wilson.
