John Higgins clings on in first session as Zhao Xintong builds 5-3 lead at Cazoo Tour Championship quarter final

Zhao Xingtong claimed an early advantage against John Higgins as he went in 5-3 up in the first session of the Cazoo Tour Championship. Former world champion Higgins was on the back foot from the start when his Chinese opponent hit a break of 53 to cruise to a relatively straightforward 76-0 win for the first frame.

Ad/> However three back-to-back 50-plus breaks by the Scot were enough to earn him two frames of his own, with Zhao taking the other.i Tour ChampionshipTour Championship 2022 LIVE – Zhao leads Higgins in tournament opener6 HOURS AGO In the fifth frame, it was Zhao who started to assert control on the session ahead of the evening’s return when the result will be decided over the best of 19 tie. Two centuries over three frames — 124 and 108 — took him into a 5-2 lead with a frame to play before the players could take some extended rest.

In the last frame of the session the reds were quickly splayed across the table, giving a chance to the first player who could knuckle down and start building a decent score, but Higgins had struggled throughout to make the most of his chances despite showing his quality on the occasion that there were truly difficult shots to make. Why unique pressures of snooker's longer formats make it ultimate challenge Tour Championship 2022 Live — Zhao leads Higgins in tournament opener Milkins on March: From scandal in Turkey to Rock of Gibraltar after epic month Both players failed to take early chances with Higgins letting a huge chance slip when he was 28-2 up, allowing Zhao back in to build his own score but he could only add another 24 before having to settle in with an attempted snooker.