Current snooker world no. 7 John Higgins of Scotland is reportedly cautious of the challenge he is set to face against world no. 29 Liang Wenbo of China during both player's tournament opener in the 2016 Dafabet Snooker Masters.
Their best-of-11 first round matchup is scheduled on January 13, Wednesday at the tournament's official venue, the Alexandra Palace in London, England.
Sporting Life indicated that the 40-year-old Higgins, a four-time World Snooker champion and two-time Masters champion, disclosed his insufficiency in practice and preparation for the said event. His lack of form has been noticeable after he lost four of his six games in the Champions League last week.
"I only practised for half an hour over Christmas," the Wishaw, Scotland native said. "It's a chance to spend time with the family so I barely played."
"That's why I played in the Championship League this week, but as it turns out I spent most of the time watching the other players pot balls. So I'll be back at home now with four or five days practice to get ready for the Masters," he added.
Higgins was all praise for his 28-year-old Chinese opponent, saying that Liang will be "full of confidence" after his runner-up finish in the recent UK Championship.
"Liang has become a much more rounded player this season, he proved that in the UK and he put up a good battle against Neil Robertson in the final. He's a fighter but also a good guy who plays with a smile on his face," said Higgins.
Higgins also admitted, via the Herald, that despite his two Masters wins, he has an unpleasant record in the tournament throughout his 20-year career, having been eliminated in the first round quite a number of times.