John Higgins: biography, facts from life, photo

One of the most prominent and famous representatives of snooker is John Higgins. Biography of the player began in the small town of Wisho, where he was born on May 18, 1975. The Scot received an international license and became a professional player in 1992.

Together with another, no less eminent British Ronnie O'Sullivan, he entered the world elite of a variety of billiard game - snooker. The first triumph happened in 1994, when he was beaten by Dave Harold in the finals. From this moment his career began to develop rapidly.

Career of the Scottish "wizard"

The first two seasons in his career, John spent modestly. He announced himself in the Grand Pri tournament, where he sensationally took first place. On this famous player did not stop and already in the next season he won two titles British Open and International Open. These achievements have allowed the Scots to take 11th place in the world snookerists rating.

In the 1995-1996 season, John Higgins continued to demonstrate an outstanding game. His trophy collection was replenished with several more titles: German Open, International Open. He became a quarter finalist of the world tournament and confidently settled on the second line of the rating.

Season 1997/98 became the most successful in the career of the Scotsman. Higgins became a finalist of 8 rating tournaments. Now there was only a world championship, where he was not famous for his great successes. A successful combination of circumstances could lead a player to the cherished dream. To do this, Stephen Hendry was to lose in the first round of the competition, and John, get the coveted trophy. As a result, he coped with this task and took the first place in the ranking.

High takeoff and rapid fall

In the 1998/99 season, John Higgins failed to defend the champion title. However, the player remained on the first line, thanks to the win in several major competitions: The Masters, China International, UK Snooker Championship.

The next season was no less successful in the career of the master. In one of the tournaments he scored the most points per game. For the first time, the maximum break of 147 points was recorded at the Nations Cup, and then at the Irish Masters match. Higgins won a few more trophy prizes at the Welsh Open and Grand Prix competitions.

In the 2000/01 season, John began to decline. At first everything turned out well, and he defeated in the final of the British Championship, the famous Mark Williams. However, in the Grand Prix he stopped participating because of the wedding. In the Cup of Nations, he lost to Ronnie O'Sullivan and dropped to third place in the world rankings.

Despite the weak level of play in the next two seasons, John Higgins managed to stay in the top five of the best snooker players.

High level of skill - the first line in the ranking

In the 2005/06, the Scot returned to a beautiful form. At the Grand Prix, he won a convincing victory over his age-old rival Ronnie O'Sullivan. In this case, John has set several records: 4 hundred series and 494 points scored.

The British championship was less successful for Higgins. He lost in the 1/8 finals to his opponent, Ken Doherty, but won the Wembley tournament. At the Malta Cup, the player reaches the final, but is defeated.

At the Welsh Open tournament, an experienced master loses at the 1/8 finals stage. The China Open contest ends for the Scotsman with a final defeat from Mark Williams. He was one of the favorites in the world championship in 2006. However, to the general surprise of many specialists, he lost to Mark Selby in the first round of the competition . Despite this fact, the player in snooker John Higgins, managed to return the first line of the rating.

The unstable game, the disappointment of the fans

Fans of the Scottish "wizard" expected from him as successful performances as the season earlier. However, John did not please them, but only disappointed. He took part in the competition Northern Ireland Trophy, where he lost at the stage of the 1/8 finals to the Chinese player. After that, he failed to defend the champion title in the competition "Grand Prix".

In the British Championship Higgins showed the highest class and reached the semi-final stage. However, he lost to the future winner Peter Ebdon. Then the experienced master began to decline. He failed in the first round of the Welsh Open and Malta Cup competitions. At the China Open tournament, the Scot was in the quarter finals, where he lost to his opponent and close associate Grammot Dott.

At the prestigious competition in Sheffield, John Higgins was not a favorite. Nevertheless, he managed to rehabilitate himself before the fans and win another trophy.

World glory is the first major success

In 1998, the Scot took part in the world championship. He for the first time in his career reached the finals and snatched the victory from the young and promising Mark Selby. The Englishman passed qualification and showed a high class of the game. However, his opponent showed real skill and the will to win. As a result, the "magician" celebrated the success.

He became the first holder of the championship title in 1998, when he turned 23 years old, ahead of two brilliant players, Williams and O'Salivan. After 9 years, he won the second trophy of the world championship.

In 2007, the owner of the honorary title "Member of the Order of the British Empire," John Higgins in an interview confessed that this event was one of the important in his life, after the birth of the child.
The next season was no less successful for an experienced player. He won the Grand Prix competition and got his third champion title. In the ranking of snooker players he took the 4th place, and a year later became its leader.

The charge of bribery

In April 2010, the Scottish player and his manager attended a business meeting. One influential businessman invited Higgins and Muni to hold a series of competitions on snooker on a contractual basis.

At that time, the 3-time world title holder decided to agree on a tempting offer and holding a contractual game. As a result, John had to concede in several frames. The total amount of the bribe was about 400,000 dollars.

After the internal investigation, Higgins was removed from the snooker contests. Nevertheless, the experienced Scot decided to refute the charges, saying that during his entire professional career, never intentionally missed.

According to the decision of the independent tribunal, the player was fined and half-yearly disqualified, and his manager for life suspension from snooker.

Return to the game

Returning after the suspension, John won in several tournaments. Two of them are the most prestigious: the championship of Great Britain and the world championship. The Scot continued to demonstrate a high level of snooker. John Higgins, whose biography is a direct proof of his talent, "I managed" to win also in ETPC-5. ETPC-6 passed for him not so successfully. He reached the final, but lost to future champion Michael Holt.

British championship John held at a high level and met in the final with Mark Williams. During the meeting, the player conceded with a score of 2: 7 and 5: 9. However, in the hardest fight, Higgins managed to win. This title was the third in his career.

At the February Welsh Open, he reached the final and got another trophy, defeating Stephen Maguire with a total score of 9: 6. The next month, the Scotsman also won the Hainan Classic.

Life outside of snooker

Even the four-time world champion John Higgins has the right to a personal life. In 2000 he made an official marriage with his beloved girl Denise. During these years, they had three children: the girl Claudia, the boys Oliver and Pierce. In addition, he always tries to attend football matches of your favorite team "Celtic".

In 2006, after the defeat in the final of the Cup of Malta, John was dropped from the plane due to heavy alcoholic intoxication. Nevertheless, preparing for the next tournament and world fame in Crucible, the player managed to abandon the use of alcoholic beverages.

In 2011, Higgins had a great tragedy. His father died of cancer. He almost always accompanied his son to all world tournaments.

The first line in the rating, the victory at the British Championship

At the annual British tournament, the Scot met the final with Mark Williams. John Higgins (photo below) was set to win.

In the decisive duel, the Welshman demonstrated a low level of play. In the semifinals, he showed character and will to win. However, the final was extremely unsuccessful for him. The total score was 9: 5, when the Scot broke the course of the meeting and won 22 trophies in his career as a professional player. He joined a cohort of great snooker players who defeated more than twice in the UK Championship.

John Higgins continues to please his fans with a talented game. Despite the slight decline, he continues to demonstrate a high level of skill. At the moment he is located on the 6th line of the world ranking. The Scottish "wizard" from Wisho forever entered the history of the popular game.