2007 World Snooker Championship Final Preview

by user Alex Holowczak

The 2007 World Snooker Championship has reached the final. The two players taking part will be the World Number 4 John Higgins against the World Number 28 Mark Selby. Scot Higgins, at 31, will be the oldest in the Final, with his 23 year old Leicestershire opponent being the youngest of the two. Higgins was World Champion in 1998, beating Ken Doherty 18-12 in the Final. Higgins is guaranteed to be World Number 1 at the end of this season, whatever happens in the Final, and Selby is certain to be in the top 16 next year, whatever happens over the next two days. This might be Selby’s first World Final, compared to Higgins’ third, but Selby does have some World Final experience. He is the reigning 8-ball Pool World Champion (or at least, one of them). The longest match of the snooker year, the four-session, 35 frame Final on Sunday and the May Day Bank Holiday Monday will settle the 2007 World Snooker Championship.

Road to the Final

Higgins had a good win in the First Round, coming from a shaky 2-0 deficit to rally past Michael Holt 10-4. He then played excellently in the Second Round, beating Fergal O'Brien 13-4 after playing some of the best snooker at The Crucible Theatre this year. He beat Ronnie O'Sullivan in the Quarter Finals, after O’Sullivan had beaten Ding Junhui and Neil Robertson, two favourites for the title. It was 4-4 after the first session, but Higgins won the next session 7-1, and O’Sullivan could only fight back to lose 13-9. The Semi Final against Stephen Maguire showed Higgins’ grinding ability. After fighting in the first three sessions, he was level at 4-4 and 8-8, before doing well to only lose 6-2 in the third session to an inspired Maguire. The following afternoon, Maguire had a 14-10 lead, but missed a pink into the middle when it looked like 15-10. Higgins fought back. He won the next three frames, but lost a frame he could have won to trail 15-13. Higgins then held his nerve as Maguire’s faltered, and Higgins won the next four frames in a row to win 17-15.

Selby was 5-0 down in his First Round against Stephen Lee, but stormed back to win 8 on the trot and go through 10-7 in the end. His Second Round match against 2002 World Champion Peter Ebdon was another great match, with Selby pulling away in the second session on his way to a 13-8 win. He looked home and dry in his Quarter Final against Allister Carter, leading 12-8 before Carter fought back to level at 12-12. But at midnight, Selby finally held his nerve to go through 13-12. His Semi Final against Shaun Murphy was another classic. He was 5-1 down, but gradually worked his way into the game. Murphy was able to hold on to Selby, who by the third session was the better player, but still it was 12-12 going into the final session. Murphy had leads of 13-12, 14-13 and 16-14, but Selby lost none of his self belief to progress, winning 17-16.

Prediction

Higgins is likely to be the favourite. He’s been this far before and won, and Selby is a newcomer to the World Final. I think Higgins could lead in the early frames. As the day wares on today though and into tomorrow, I think Selby will fight back, and could take the match all the way. He has been probably more consistent in this tournament regarding break building, but Higgins all-round matchplay kept him in the tournament against Maguire, and that could help him if the game goes close tomorrow night.

Note also, in the 2006 World Snooker Championship, Higgins played Selby in the First Round. Selby was victorious on that occasion, thrashing Higgins 10-4. Higgins will hope to exact revenge in this year’s Final.

Prediction: John Higgins to beat Mark Selby 18-15