John Higgins and Ronnie O'Sullivan up and running for Scottish Open meeting
- Published
Higgins has been in fine form in front of his home crowd
John Higgins will have prepared for his Scottish Open quarter-final with a school run while opponent Ronnie O'Sullivan slipped on running shoes.
The two former world champions are first on the table at noon at Glasgow's Emirates Arena.
Asked when his alarm would ring, O'Sullivan told BBC Scotland: "About 6.15 for a five-mile run."
Higgins, who had a late-night finish, said: "I'll be up early with the kids going to school, so I will be okay."
The Scot, who lives 15 miles away in Wishaw, was last to qualify for the last eight, but that was down to the tournament schedule rather than any difficulty provided by his opponents.
Higgins won two rounds on Thursday without losing a frame - defeating China's Mei Xi Wen and Wales' Dominic Dale 4-0.
O'Sullivan recorded two 4-2 wins - over veteran fellow Englishman Jimmy White and Northern Ireland's Mark Allen - and Higgins knows he faces a much tougher challenge.
"Every time you play him, it's a step up," he told BBC Scotland. "I will go in and enjoy it, but it's just a pity it's not tomorrow night because a lot of people will be working during the day and will miss the match."
O'Sullivan was relishing the occasion.
Ronnie O'Sullivan has won the Welsh Open and the Masters so far in 2016
"John's done fantastic things in snooker along with Stephen Hendry, probably two of the greatest sportsmen Scotland has ever had, so it will be a fantastic occasion," he said.
"But there are so many good players left in the draw and, from Friday onwards, the crowds are going to be entertained by some high-quality snooker."
Judd Trump faces Robert Milkins, Yu De Lu takes on Liang Wenbo and Mark Davis is up against Marco Fu in the other quarter-finals.
Hong Kong's Fu edged out Australia's Neil Robertson 4-3 having already beaten Finland's Robin Hull 4-0.
Following his 4-1 win over China's Xiao Guodong, Englishman Davis was also made to battle to a 4-3 win by Mark Williams, the Welshman having earlier beaten home favourite Stephen Maguire.
Trump beat fellow Englishman Kyren Wilson 4-2 after whitewashing Thailand's Noppon Saengkham.
Milkins was another to win a by a deciding frame, against Anthony Hamilton, having beaten another fellow Englishman, Joe Perry, 4-1.
China's De Lu had single-frame wins over Welshman Daniel Wells and England's Sean O'Sullivan.
Wenbo edged out Barry Hawkins by one frame after the Chinese beat another English opponent, Ian Burns, without the loss of a frame.
- Published14 December 2016
