STEPHEN MAGUIRE said beating John Higgins to reach the quarter-finals of the UK Championship was a “proud moment”.

The 2004 York victor triumphed 6-3 and will play either world number one Neil Robertson or Joe Perry in the quarter-final tomorrow.

Maguire hit a 90 in the first frame and later a magnificent 142, which is the new highest break of the tournament.

Higgins, by contrast, struggled to find any consistency and missed a number of straight forward pots as he continues to be tormented by his game.

Maguire said: “It’s a great win. Any time you beat John Higgins is a proud moment. I felt good there. I felt good after the interval.

“John struggled all the way through. I maybe should have been 3-1 up and, at 2-2 (at the interval), I was thinking about whether I was giving it away.

“I was happy with the way I knuckled down. Any win over John Higgins is a great win – no matter who you are.”

Higgins said: “I missed a black in the fifth frame that was just unforgivable. That gave him a little bit of confidence – knowing that I am not going to punish him at all.”