John Higgins admitted he felt ‘drained’ during his win over Joe O’Connor at the World Snooker Championship.
The world number three came from behind to secure a 10-7 victory in their first round encounter.
BBCHiggins was visibly emotional after beating O’Connor at the Crucible[/caption]
Higgins is bidding to win his fifth world title and a first since 2011 at the Crucible.
The Wizard of Wishaw had trailed 5-4 to O’Connor, though, before recovering to lead 7-6 on Monday morning.
Despite a spirited effort from his opponent, Higgins ultimately claimed victory thanks in part to a magnificent 114 break in the penultimate frame.
However, he was visibly emotional during his post-match interview as he spoke to the BBC’s Seema Jaswal.
Opening up on his mentality following the win, the Scottish cueist explained: “I left my apartment and I was in tears.
“That was the most emotional I have ever been today. Obviously my father-in-law wasn’t great.
“I was sitting having dinner with my boy last night and I was thinking about sitting here with my dad 25 years ago. I was drained today.
“I had a couple of hours sleep and I came out tonight and felt a lot better and played a lot better. I am still so proud that I am still playing at a good level at this age.”
Higgins held back tears as he gave his thoughts after the victory, with Jaswal consoling him.
The presenter even stood up to hug him once he had revealed the impact of his emotions heading into the match.
BBCHiggins admitted he felt ‘drained’ during his first round win on Monday[/caption]
Higgins is the third seed in Sheffield after coming into the tournament in stunning form.
Across the last four events before the World Snooker Championship, he has won two of them.
His victories at the World Open and Tour Championship took Higgins’ career tally of ranking titles to 33.
Those include his four wins at the Crucible in 1998, 2007, 2009 and 2011.
He has also been a beaten finalist a further four times, including three years in a row between 2017 and 2019.
Higgins is set to take on Xiao Guodong in the second round later this week.
The Chinese cueist set up their encounter by beating Matthew Selt 10-4 in the first round.
Either Hossein Vafaei or Mark Williams will await the winner in the quarter-finals.
