Higgins angry after defeat by Fu

Higgins won the World Championship in 1998 and 2007

World champion John Higgins criticised the tables at the Royal London Watches Grand Prix after losing out to Marco Fu in the last 16.
Higgins battled back from 4-2 down to level at 4-4 in Aberdeen but the Hong Kong star took the deciding frame to book his place in the quarter-finals.

But Higgins said the table was to blame for two "monstrous kicks" that played their part in his defeat.

Earlier, Ronnie O'Sullivan produced a solid display to reach the last eight.

"I've played every match on that table and I got accustomed to the kicks, but I got two monstrous kicks in the last frame," said Higgins.

"You know it's coming but it's still not easy to take.

"It was a good match but I missed a few easy shots. I was in control of the match at 1-0, but at 50 ahead I missed an easy red into the middle."

O'Sullivan recorded breaks of 56, 61, 49, 78, 69 and 68 as he saw off the challenge of Michael Judge 5-2.

But former world champion O'Sullivan, who has not won a ranking event for 31 months, offered a low-key verdict on his victory.

"I played alright, but I think the less I say the better sometimes. I get myself in trouble otherwise," he said.

O'Sullivan's next opponent will be Northern Ireland's Joe Swail, who overcame Marcus Campbell by the same 5-2 margin.

Shaun Murphy, the 2005 world champion, also progressed to the last eight with a 5-3 win over Welshman Ryan Day.

But the most emphatic victory of the afternoon session came from Gerard Greene, who reached the fifth quarter-final of his career with a 5-0 whitewash of Ricky Walden, which he rounded off with breaks of 101 and 91.

"I got off to a good start and my safety, for a change, was very good," Greene commented.

"During the summer I had a lot of time off because the club I played at closed down and all the other clubs I tried didn't want me.

"I've only just found a club, so for the last three weeks I've been able to practise properly. I think the break has done me the world of good," he added.