John Higgins v Allister Carter Tips

Both veterans have met on 38 separate occasions over the years. I feel that Ali still has fire in his belly for the big one, having made the final twice and been on the losing side. He is the younger of the two at a wily 46 years of age, whereas John, as an ex-champion, is looking to create a new record as the oldest champion at a ripe 50. John to win a close one 10-8.

Higgins has shown more bottle in his career and composure in big matches, but both have been playing at similar levels so far here, so he could go close.

Carter leads 5-4 after the first part and is slightly favorite here. He won 4 of the last 5 direct clashes, and all were fairly recent.

These two players have a very long history together. Most of their recent head-to-head meetings have been closely contested. John Higgins did well initially, and I expect him to bounce back and win this matchup 10??'7 frames.