John Higgins v Mark Williams live stream | Masters Snooker 2022 preview
Higgins and Williams collide (Photo by George Wood/PA Images)
Class of 92 counterparts John Higgins and Mark Williams face off in the Quarter-Finals of the 2022 Masters on Thursday evening.
With 50 Masters appearances between them, Higgins and Williams are two of the stalwarts of this prestigious competition and two of only nine multiple champions.
Both, however, have gone without Masters success for some time and will be determined to add a third crown to their cabinet this weekend.
Higgins, whose two Masters triumphs came in 1999 and 2006, came within touching distance of glory 12 months ago – when he was edged out 10-8 by Yan Bingtao in the final in Milton Keynes.
Now back in front of a capacity crowd at Alexandra Palace, Higgins has continued the consistent run of form which has led him to four televised finals this season, though he has fallen short on each occasion.
In fact, Higgins has lost six of his last seven ranking finals, which started with an agonising 18-16 defeat to Williams in the 2018 World Championship final.
The 46-year-old drew upon his vast experience to defeat Masters debutant and newly-crowned UK Champion Zhao Xintong 6-2 in Round One, producing two century breaks along the way.
Higgins boasts the longest consecutive run of Masters appearances stretching back to 1995 – when he reached the final on his debut as a 19-year-old wildcard.
Williams, who also made his Masters debut at the Wembley Conference Centre that year, first lifted this famous trophy in 1998 before repeating the feat five years later.
The three-time World Champion has endured a barren spell in this event in recent years, suffering First Round exits in five of his last six appearances, but began brightly on his return to Ally Pally by dethroning defending champion Yan Bingtao 6-4 on Sunday afternoon.
The tenacious Welshman picked up the British Open title at the beginning of the season but has struggled for momentum since, with injury and Covid forcing him to pull out of a number of events.
Williams defeated Higgins 13-7 in the Last 16 of the 2021 World Championship and has won four of their last five competitive meetings.
Higgins has the upper-hand, though, when it comes to the overall head-to-heads, with 24 wins to Williams’ 20 since their first encounter back in 1994.
Their latest show-down gets under way from 7pm GMT on Thursday and will be contested over the best of 11 frames.
2012 Masters Champion Neil Robertson awaits the winner in the Semi-Finals on Saturday.
How to watch John Higgins v Mark Williams live stream
1) Go to Bet365.com via this special link
2) Register an account, place a £10 first bet and get £50 in Free Bets* (18+ only, T&Cs apply)
3) Once registered, go to the sports homepage and select ‘Snooker’ from the left-hand menu
4) Select the play icon next to the match in progress and the stream window will appear
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