John Higgins came close to an unexpected first round exit at the Embassy World Championship in Sheffield when narrowly beating Crucible first-timer Ryan Day. Instead of falling to a 10-7 defeat though, the Scotsman was delighted to celebrate a 10-9 victory.
World number 69 Day missed a straightforward pink in the 17th frame and never recovered, but the 1998 champion still had to double the final pink in a 30-minute deciding frame before completing his great escape.
Higgins, bidding to win his first title for more than two years, admitted the pressure was getting to him.
He said: "I felt like crying at the end, just because of the way things have been going this season. I have never felt pressure like that before even when I was winning tournaments. I must be getting old," added Higgins.
Elsewhere today, Jimmy White leads Barry Pinches 4-3 after their first session, their match resumes tomorrow morning.
Filed by Johnny Proby
