14.7.07

HIGGINS AND WATTANA INTO SEMIS




John Higgins and James Wattana qualified for the semi-finals of the Euro-Asia Challenge after each winning two matches in the group phase at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Hong Kong today.

Higgins, the reigning world champion, beat his fellow Scot Stephen Hendry 2-0 and followed this with a 2-0 victory over China’s Ding Junhui.

Wattana, Thailand’s leading player for the last two decades, also beat Ding 2-0 and then edged Hendry 2-1.

The results mean neither Hendry or Ding can qualify for the semis of the tournament, which carries a first prize of £25,000.

In the other group, 1997 world champion Ken Doherty recovered from the loss of the opening frame to beat Ronnie O’Sullivan 2-1.

However, Irishman Doherty was then beaten 2-1 by Hong Kong’s Marco Fu before O’Sullivan beat Supoj Saenla of Thailand 2-0 to leave the group finely balanced.

The event is one of three major tournaments to be staged in the Far East this season. The Shanghai Masters, the campaign’s first ranking event, takes place next month and the China Open returns to Bejing next March.

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