Ken Doherty supporters are in for another tense day at the World Championships when he resumes his quarter final match with John Higgins, leading 10-6 after losing the final six frames of yesterday’s session. In the space of two hours last night, Doherty went from the brink of the biggest ever Crucible quarter-final victory to the precipice of the greatest ever Crucible collapse.
And it would take a brave man to predict the outcome of his monumental match against brave Scot John Higgins. Wishaw wizard Higgins has already saved face by storming back from 10-0 down to 10-6 and the 27-year-old world number four still requires seven of the remaining nine frames to achieve the finest recovery seen since the championships moved to Sheffield in 1977.
Dennis Taylor stunned Steve Davis 18-17 in the 1985 final after being 7-0 behind. And 1995 world finalist Nigel Bond once defeated Canadian Cliff Thorburn 10-9 having been 9-2 down.
But to deny Doherty a place in the semi-finals would be an astonishing feat. As it is, Dubliner Doherty has plenty of time to compose himself before going out to do battle. At the back of his mind, though, will be a worrying tendency to go the distance in many of his matches this season. He defeated Graeme Dott 13-12 in the second round after black-balling Shaun Murphy to a 10-9 defeat in the last 32.
In addition, he lost 10-9 to Mark Williams in this season's UK Championship final and went down in deciding frames to Mark Selby in the Scottish Open, Dave Harold in the Irish Masters, Chris Small in the British Open and Jimmy White in the Regal Masters.
Elsewhere Mark Williams and Stephen Hendry are in action today with Williams leading 10-6.
Defending champion Peter Ebdon, playing for a place against Doherty or Higgins, re-starts level against Paul Hunter at 4-4. And Stephen Lee and Marco Fu, bidding to meet Williams or Hendry in the last four, also cannot be separated after the opening eight frames.
Filed by Johnny Proby
