World Snooker Championship: John Higgins reaches round two

World Championship

Four-time champion John Higgins moved into the World Championship second round with a comfortable 10-5 victory over world number 17 Robert Milkins.

Scot Higgins was 6-3 ahead overnight and looked set to steam through after winning the first two frames in style.
Milkins hit back to 8-5, but world number 13 Higgins sealed success with breaks of 69 and 106 at the Crucible.


Higgins was joined in the second round by Anthony McGill, who resisted a Stephen Maguire fightback to win 10-9.
Scottish world number 15 Maguire trailed 6-3 after Saturday's play and found himself 9-5 down against the Crucible debutant.

But Maguire hit three half-centuries on his way to levelling the scores at 9-9, only for world number 32 McGill to get over the line with a classy 122 in the deciding frame. He will face defending champion Mark Selby in round two.

Higgins had no such drama in seeing out his 6-3 advantage and was happy with his form.
"I hit the ball well. I missed a few but I felt good," said Higgins, who last won the tournament in 2011.

Anthony McGill is making his debut at the World Championship

"That was the best I have felt for the last three years coming here. I know what it takes to win it, but I am not among the favourites."
Earlier in the day fellow Scot Graeme Dott reached the second round with a 10-8 success over England's Ricky Walden.

Dott, who beat Peter Ebdon to win the 2006 final, looked in determined mood against the world number seven after coming through three tough qualifying rounds.
Walden, a three-time ranking event winner and 2013 Crucible semi-finalist, trailed 5-4 overnight but won three of the first four frames to lead 7-6.

Dott, the world number 19, showed all his battling qualities to go 9-7 up and edged through.
Meanwhile, world number four Neil Robertson was in imperious form as he established a 7-2 lead over Welsh qualifier Jamie Jones after their opening session.

Robertson, the 2010 winner, hit two centuries - including a brilliant 143 - on his way to a 6-0 lead.
A nervous Jones finally settled to take the next two frames, but the Australian edged the final frame of the session - an enthralling 36-minute tactical battle.

There was also a first-round win for Hong Kong's Marco Fu, who beat Englishman Jimmy Robertson, while 2013 runner-up Barry Hawkins hit six half-centuries and won five frames in a row to take a 7-2 lead over Matthew Selt.