Ronnie O'Sullivan has made the extraordinary admission that he had arranged a flight back to Dublin before Monday's final session against John Higgins even began.
The seven-time world champion, who is based in Dubai but has a home in Ireland, was so convinced he would suffer defeat with a session to spare that he organised his Monday morning departure in advance.
"I've got to be honest with you, I had a flight booked home early this morning," O'Sullivan revealed.
"Because I wasn't sure if I'd get to the third session before the match started."
The 50-year-old's pessimism proved unfounded as he pushed Higgins all the way to a dramatic final-frame decider at the Crucible.
Despite O'Sullivan's lack of confidence, it was Higgins who ultimately prevailed in spectacular fashion, recovering from a seemingly insurmountable 9-4 deficit to triumph 13-12 in a final-frame shootout.
The Scottish veteran attributed his extraordinary turnaround to the freshly laid table cloth, believing the previous surface would have prevented his resurgence.
Ronnie O'Sullivan has made the extraordinary admission that he had arranged a flight back to Dublin before Monday's final session against John Higgins even began
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"When they said the tables had been recovered, I thought this is a chance," Higgins explained.
"I wouldn't have had that burst in me if it was the old cloth."
The 50-year-old had found O'Sullivan's unconventional chalk problematic, claiming the residue made the pockets feel tighter and conditions more challenging.
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Five quirky facts about snooker | PADuring the decisive third session, Higgins produced magnificent potting, compiling three centuries across a stunning five-frame stretch that left the seven-time world champion watching helplessly from his seat.
O'Sullivan acknowledged he had been realistic about his prospects when facing elite opposition, admitting his lack of involvement in major matches over the past two years had left him exposed.
"It's alright beating people in the last 64 or 32, ranked 30th or 40th in the world," he said.
"But playing the top boys under pressure, in a real pressure situation now, I knew it was going to kind of expose me."
The former world No 1's frustration boiled over during the contest, punching a cushion in frame 16 and striking his cue against the table near the match's conclusion.
"I wasn't even angry. I was quite frustrated," O'Sullivan explained. "I thought: 'I missed another bloody important ball. How many of these am I going to keep missing?'"
Ronnie O'Sullivan was outclassed by John Higgins at the World Snooker Championship
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He insisted such outbursts are quickly forgotten, describing himself as "cool as a cucumber" moments later.
Former world champion Ken Doherty was effusive in his praise for the encounter, describing it as potentially one of the finest last-16 matches in Crucible history.
"What a turnaround," the 1997 winner declared.
"John was ill at ease in the first session and never settled. But he has stuck in there."
Doherty highlighted the exceptional standard Higgins produced during his comeback, suggesting it ranked among the finest performances witnessed at the Sheffield venue in recent memory.
"It's probably one of the greatest last-16 matches we have ever seen," he said. "The snooker he has produced has been from the Gods."
Higgins now advances to the quarter-finals for the 20th occasion, taking a 4-3 lead in their record-equalling Crucible rivalry spanning three decades.