Enforced break has given Higgins title hunger

Higgins returns to the Crucible a year after being caught up in the scandal which rocked the sport and resulted in him being banned for six months.

The eve of last year’s final saw the publication of a tabloid sting on three-time world champion Higgins, who was accused of agreeing to take a bribe to fix frames during a meeting in Kiev.

Higgins was cleared of that charge, but was punished in September for giving the misleading impression he would be prepared to deliberately lose frames as well as failing to report the approach made to him.

He had been under suspension since May so the punishment was back-dated and he returned to action in November, since when he has regained the No 1 ranking from Neil Robertson, the man whose world title success the scandal overshadowed.

By winning December’s UK Championship in his first major event back and then adding the Welsh Open in February, Higgins has shown the break served only to build his appetite for success.

He faces qualifier Stephen Lee in the first round of the tournament, which gets under way on Saturday.

Taylor, who famously beat Steve Davis in the 1985 final, said: “It will be tough for everyone, given the way John Higgins is playing. He’s been exceptional since returning.

“It doesn’t surprise me. He’s the one to beat, he’s been just superb. With the way John has played recently you’d fancy him over the 17 days, so I’d make him and Ronnie O’Sullivan the favourites.”

While O’Sullivan’s form this season hardly merits such equal billing – he is mired in a run of first-round defeats, taking in the UK Championship, Masters, Welsh Open and China Open – Taylor does not count him out.

“It’s hard to predict how Ronnie will do. Ronnie can be on for one week and then not for the second week. And, of course, he and John (Higgins) are due to meet in the quarter-finals.”

Taylor hopes to see Robertson give a strong account of himself as the Australian attempts to become the first man to retain the title since Stephen Hendry won five in a row from 1992 to 1996.

“I think if he gets through the first round (against Judd Trump) he’ll have a good run,” continued Taylor. “But I lost to Mike Hallett in the first round after winning my title.

“I’d love to see Ding Junhui come through the top half of the draw. I had dinner with him recently and his English is coming on so well. He’s a smashing lad and a terrific player.”

Sheffield-based Ding has this week been fined £2,000 for failing to reveal he was too unwell to compete at his best prior to a match which he lost 4-0.

China’s world No 4 did not disclose his illness to organisers of a Euro Players Tour Championship event in Russelheim, Germany, in October.