John Higgins disappointed after losing to Matthew Selt in first round: 2011 Australian Goldfields Open
World Snooker Champion, John Higgins faced a shock defeat in the first round of 2011 Australian Goldfields Open at the hands of world number 43 Matthew Selt, at the Bendigo Stadium arena in Victoria. Higgins was 4-1 up in the competition before Selt sprang
back in a stunning fashion to take the match 4-5.
World number two Higgins was really disappointed with his loss, as he was way ahead of Selt during the match. Selt played outstandingly in the later part of the match and totally surprised the Scotsman, grabbing four straight frames from 4-1 to finish the
game at 4-5. The Englishman Selt will next meet another Scottish player, the living legend Stephen Hendry, in his second round encounter.
The 36-year-old Higgins started off the competition in his own style and grabbed a 4-1 lead in no time. The player admitted that the 4-1 lead might have flattered him a bit and he lost his focus. On the other hand, Selt's focus and concentration on his game
led him to come back on the table from nowhere to finish as the winner.
Speaking to the local press after his defeat, Higgins said, “This was a bad game to lose. From being 4-1 in front and having the game in my grasp in two or three of the frames I threw them away. Maybe 4-1 flattered me a bit and fair play to Matthew he played
very well in the end and his safety game was very good.”
The four-time Crucible king added, “I'm disappointed but maybe it's because I haven't put in the hours practising since winning the World Championship. It doesn't matter if you're world champion or world number 300, you need to put the work in and if you
don't, you don't get anywhere.”
The Wizard of Wishaw just came to Australia from Thailand after finishing his World Cup Snooker run where he and his partner, Stephen Maguire, crashed out in the quarter-final stage.
The 2011-12 Snooker Season is not going well for the champion and he really needs to pull his socks up to cope with his inconsistent form.
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