JOHN HIGGINS gestured for two snooker fans to leave the Yushan Sport Centre during his World Open showdown.
The Scot later joked that his dodgy tummy – from too many Chinese HOT POTS – helped him beat Zhou Yuelong 5-4 in the last-16 on Wednesday.
Higgins was trying to put distance between himself and Zhou in the third frame, with the scores tied up at 1-1.
Just as he was lining up for a shot, the four-time world champion appeared to be distracted by something he could see in the stands.
And he made a pointing gesture with his left hand, as if instructing someone to leave the venue.
The camera then panned to two punters sheepishly making their way out of the arena before Higgins regained his composure and potted a red.
Eurosport commentator Neal Fould said: “Something is just putting John off away from the table.
“He is pointing the finger at those gentlemen, who have just decided they are going to have a little break, I suppose, for a while.
“Maybe an inopportune moment to leave.”
Higgins struggled and soon fell 4-2 down in a first-to-five-frames contest.
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But he somehow pulled it back with consecutive breaks of 60, 74 and 72 to make it into his 146th ranking event quarter-final.
The Scotsman, 49, had a dodgy stomach from indulging in some tasty Chinese cuisine.
After the match, he said: “My stomach has been very bad. I’ve been enjoying the hot pots too many times.
“Listen, from 4-2 behind, it probably helped me. I was running…aye, it was really bad.
“It probably relaxed my mind because I wasn’t even thinking about the match.
“I was thinking about not running to the toilet. And that’s the God’s honest truth.
“It probably relaxed my mind, not thinking about the pressures of the game. Just the pressure of something else!
“No hot pot this evening. Nothing. Just bread and water…”
Higgins equalled Ronnie O’Sullivan’s record of reaching 146 ranking event quarter-finals.
He beat Pang Junxu 5-0 on Thursday to make the semi-finals, where he will play Englishman Zak Surety on Friday.
