Shock defeat for Higgins in China

John Higgins suffered a shock 6-3 defeat against home favourite Cao Yupeng in the first round of the International Championship in Chengdu, China today.

Higgins, looking to complete a double in China after triumphing in the Shanghai Masters last month, was sluggish throughout and despite taking a 2-0 lead with breaks of 71 and 73, Cao fought back spectacularly to take the next five frames.