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World Snooker Championship news: Wins for Jack Lisowski and John Higgins

Jack Lisowski overcame a late wobble to squeeze past Matthew Stevens 10-8 at the World Snooker Championship but admitted he must "play freely" to progress in Sheffield.

The 30-year-old looked to be comfortable when racing into a 9-6 lead but needed several chances to eventually book a place in the second round of the South Yorkshire showpiece for the third time in his career.

'Jackpot', who last year reached three ranking finals, will need to beat Neil Robertson next to advance to the quarter-finals at the Crucible for the first time.

"I am drained," the world number 14 told reporters.
"I was gone at the end. I couldn't see shots and couldn't make my mind up. I had done some good things earlier in the game to get a lead, and I was able to hang on and fall over the line."

Lisowski has teamed up with the 2002 world champion, Peter Ebdon, to work on improving his killer instinct in games and admitted defeat against Stevens would have set him back.

The 2010 world champion Robertson of Australia is the player of the season so far, winning the English Open, Players Championship and Tour Championship, as well as reaching the final of the World Grand Prix, and Lisowski, who led 6-3 overnight against Stevens, said he must learn to relax.

"I was playing with fear and expecting Matthew to come back, I was guarding the lead which is the worst thing you can do," he said.
"I need to play freely, when I tighten up it just doesn't suit me.
"Hopefully I can look back and learn from this game. If I had lost it would have been a dark one."

Robertson rattled off eight frames in a row as he breezed past tournament debutant Ashley Hugill 10-5.

Elsewhere on Wednesday, the four-time World Snooker Championship winner, John Higgins, twice came from behind to beat Thepchaiya Un-Nooh of Thailand 10-7.

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