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Stephen Hendry was forced to bite his tongue during the BBC's World Snooker Championship coverage on Monday night. It came during John Higgins' sensational victory over Ronnie O'Sullivan, with the Scot ending his rival's pursuit of an eighth Crucible crown.

Hendry, who is level with O'Sullivan on seven World Championship titles, was reacting to the epic battle live on the BBC when he praised Higgins' resilience to bounce back from 8-3 down. However, Hendry couldn't quite find a word strong enough to describe his countryman's comeback, and instead decided to settle for 'courage'.

After Higgins sank a tricky red in the deciding frame, Hendry said: "Can't say what I want to say, but that courage is unbelievable. To cue that, is incredible."

Higgins went on to win the decider, taking the match and a spot in the last eight with it. The 13-12 victory has been heralded as one of the matches of the tournament so far, with John Parrott describing the final session as one of the best ever seen at the Crucible.

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He said: "We have all been going mad, I've got sweaty palms and I'm not even playing because we have all been there, we have all been out there. That's one of the greatest sessions of snooker ever played in this place and we have been here since 1977.

"Both players, just like two juggernauts and absolutely would give anything. Ronnie had his chance on the last frame, he did have it. It was a tricky red in the corner that he missed and he can't complain with that."

Despite the brilliance of the final frame, Higgins did admit to riding his luck at times throughout the encounter. Commenting afterwards, the four-time world champion said: "I'm just delighted I came to the party in the third session, because the first two sessions, how I was only 9-7 behind, I'll never know.

"It was just about not giving up. At 6-2 behind, I said to the family 'I've got to win the next two sessions'. I wasn't having any negative thoughts. Ronnie played amazing in that game, his cue ball control. I've played him for years and I thought he was striking it great."

It's a desperately disappointing way for O'Sullivan to crash out, given the Rocket would've been able to taste the third round on several occasions. His wait for an eighth World Championship crown will extend into the 2027 season, but whether O'Sullivan will be back to contest it remains to be seen.