ohn Higgins came from 3-0 and 5-3 down to beat Judd Trump 6-5 in an epic battle, raising his hopes of a third Johnstone’s Paint Masters title and becoming the oldest ever finalist in a Triple Crown event.
Trump may be haunted by a missed brown when he was just three pots from victory at 5-3, and Higgins eventually came out on top, describing it as one of his best ever wins – given that he had lost 14 of his previous 15 meetings with world number one Trump. He goes through to face Kyren Wilson or Wu Yize over 19 frames on Sunday at Alexandra Palace for the Paul Hunter Trophy and a top prize of £350,000 which would be his biggest ever payday. Having landed the crown in 1999 and 2006, Higgins is looking to become the seventh player to win the title on three or more occasions.
Just four months short of his 51st birthday, Wishaw’s Higgins becomes the oldest finalist in Triple Crown history, surpassing a record held by Ray Reardon who was 50 years and three months when he lost the 1983 Masters final. World number five Higgins is aiming for a tenth Triple Crown success and first since he captured his fourth Crucible title in 2011.
Higgins, who also came from 5-3 down to beat Zhao Xintong 6-5 in the previous round, is into the Masters final for the sixth time having finished runner-up in 1995, 2005 and 2021. At the tail end of last season he won big events at the World Open and Tour Championship, but if he were to land snooker’s biggest invitation title at this late stage of his life on the baize, with wife Denise and children Oliver and Claudia in attendance, he may consider it a new career highlight.
Struggling to settle into the contest, Higgins failed to pot a ball in the first two frames, Trump taking them both with top runs of 40 and 46. In the third, Trump made 60 before missing a tricky red to a centre pocket and Higgins clawed his way back, gaining the snooker he needed on the last red, but later made a safety error on the yellow and Trump potted yellow and green for 3-0. Frame four came down to the colours and Trump had the chance for 4-0 but missed the yellow to a baulk corner when leading 48-42, and this time Higgins took advantage with an excellent clearance including a slow-rolled green along the baulk cushion.
Higgins closed to 3-2 with a run of 104 and in frame six he was on 44 when he missed a red to centre. Trump’s 70 clearance made it 4-2 and in frame seven he led 54-0 when he potted a red but was unlucky to knock the blue in. Higgins later converted a tremendous long red to a top corner and cleared with 57. Again Higgins had the chance to square the tie, but at 62-6 missed frame ball red to a top corner and had to watch his opponent clear with 57. Trump had a golden chance to clinch the result in frame nine but rattled the final brown in the jaws of a baulk corner at 43-48 and Higgins took advantage for 5-4.
A break of 70 put Higgins in charge of the tenth, and though his opponent got the three snookers he needed, the Scot doubled the last red to set up the decider. Trump had first chance but made just 6 before missing a red – playing right handed – and he then botched a safety shot to hand Higgins the table. He made a cool 57, and though he missed the pink just two balls short of the winning line, he later slotted in the penultimate red to seal a memorable triumph.
“It was amazing, I can’t believe I am through,” said Higgins. “Judd was in total control of the game at 3-0, I was all at sea and I was devastated because nothing was happening for me. The fourth frame was massive. In recent times I have lost a lot of matches like that which has been really tough to take. I just didn’t give up today, even though I lost two bad frames to go 4-2 and 5-3 down. But I was lucky that Judd missed the brown at 5-3, it looked all over.
“It has to go down as one of my biggest ever wins because Judd is such a great champion and he had won so many matches against me in the last few years. He probably felt the match was easy, at 3-0 perhaps he took his foot off the pedal, and this game never forgives you. I will enjoy tonight and tomorrow just go out and give it my all.”
Trump, who had also hoped to win a third Masters title but remains without silverware for 13 months, said: “The brown at 5-3 was awkward, I felt if I screwed back I could go in-off, and I took my eye off it. In the last frame I had a chance but again it was awkward. I had my chances and I should have got over the line so I am disappointed. I just need to improve under pressure a bit and then I’ll be able to turn these things around, I have lost a lot of deciding frames this season. But John is a great player and took his chance.“
Kyren Wilson escaped from the jaws of defeat to beat Wu Yize 6-5 and raise his hopes of a first Johnstone’s Paint Masters title, setting up a final clash with John Higgins.
China’s 22-year-old Wu, playing in this event for the first time, had beaten Shaun Murphy and Xiao Guodong to reach the semi-finals and came so close to going a step further. But just like Judd Trump who let slip the chance to beat Higgins earlier today, Wu will leave London pondering what might have been, as he missed a red when just a few pots away from a 6-4 victory.
Renowned for his fighting spirit, world number two Wilson was flawless from that moment as he took the last two frames to reach the final at Alexandra Palace for the third time. He lost 10-7 to Mark Allen in 2018 and to Shaun Murphy by the same scoreline last year, and this time the 34-year-old from Kettering will be fiercely determined to get his hands on the Paul Hunter Trophy. First to ten frames on Sunday will bank £350,000.
Wilson, 2024 World Champion, won the Shanghai Masters at the start of the current season, and though he has struggled for deep runs in ranking events, another top prize in this invitation tournament would bring his earnings for 2025/26 over £740,000. His triumph over Wu was his second consecutive late night 6-5 success as he beat Neil Robertson by the same scoreline last night, but he will not be short of energy tomorrow in an intriguing clash with all-time great Higgins. Wilson has won just three of their 11 previous meetings but can draw on memories of a 13-8 defeat of the Scot en route to Crucible glory two years ago.
Wilson had first chance in the opening frame tonight but missed a red with the rest on 20 and Wu capitalised with 75. The Asian ace had a chance to snatch the second from 51-0 down but failed to pot the third-last red to a top corner, handing Wilson the table to make it 1-1. Frame three came down to the final pink and Wu’s attempted mid-range pot to a top corner rattled in the jaws, allowing Wilson to slot it into a centre pocket to take the lead.
Wu’s run of 69 made it 2-2 before Wilson regained the lead with a 76. In frame six, Wu was on 24 when he missed an awkward red to centre, and soon Wilson was 4-2 ahead thanks to a break of 74. Leading 32-1 in frame seven, Wilson misjudged a short range red to a top corner, and Wu made 74 to keep in touch. He kept his moment going with a run of 87 for 4-4, then his break of 58 in the ninth proved enough to edge Wu in front.
With the balls at his mercy in frame ten, Wu missed a straight-forward red to top corner when leading 44-11, and Wilson fashioned a tremendous 46 clearance including a superb shot to move the blue off a side cushion. A safety mistake from Wu early in the decider turned out to be his last shot as Wilson brought the crowd to its feet with a break of 116, his sixth century of the week.
“I’m not sure how many more deciders I can take!” said Wilson. “At 5-4 it looked as if I was going home, but the snooker Gods shone on me. When Wu missed I saw a red to the middle which would give me a chance, that ignited something in me. I made a really good clearance there and then the century in the decider.
“I felt coming here this week that I could compete, I had some confidence and belief. Finals here are always tough, I’ve played Mark Allen and Shaun Murphy and it doesn’t get any easier against John Higgins. He is a hero of mine, I grew up watching him and I love what he has given to the game, he is a role model.“
Wu, whose hopes of becoming the first debutant to reach the final at Alexandra Palace ended, said: “Neither of us played particularly well early in the match, then at 4–2 I played two or three good frames. That ball which could have finished the match 6–4, I don’t know why I missed it. It was just a miss, and I don’t understand why, maybe I was careless. Everything today felt worse than yesterday, and maybe that’s the experience I need to take away. I’ll go back and reflect on it. I don’t think this loss proves anything, and I’ll continue to move forward.”
Neither match went the way I wished but that’s how sports goes sometimes and Kyren Wilson is probably better equipped to face John Higgins than Wu would have been, and I hope he will win today.
The reports are comprehensive enough and I have nothing to add.
I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who was actually rooting passionately for Higgins – and I do not often do that. 😛 Hats off to him for keeping it together after that miss of the red that made it 5-3 instead of 4-4 and the danger of Trump winning another Masters loomed large. Now I can enjoy a final as a true neutral, as I did yesterday’s second semi – otherwise I would have rooted desperately for Wilson, who is a relatively trustworthy Trump-beater. 😏
It must be tough for Judd Trump to keep losing important matches to the “Class of ’92.” In 2022, he lost the World Championship final to Ronnie; last year, the semis to Mark Williams; and now to John Higgins—even though all three are actually well past their peak and, while still good, are no longer at the level they used to be. Trump always comes across as so confident, and you get the impression that he sees himself as the greatest player of all time. That must be really frustrating for him and makes me wonder whether the top players today are actually better than the top players 20 years ago, or if the overall depth of talent has simply increased. Anyway, I’ll be rooting for Kyren Wilson today as well.
See what happens when you actually bother to turn up to tournaments instead of pulling out like a coward without giving a reason and going into hiding?
You don’t know what actually is going on in Ronnie’s life, or Laila’s life, other than the fact she is ill with an incurable, invalidating condition, so you have no ground nor right to judge him. Wouldn’t you stay with your partner if they were ill and going through a though time? Especially if you have nothing to prove and enough money? Is that cowardice, or is that rather being a proper human and partner?
Ronnie O'Sullivan 
Honestly, how is John so good at doubles? They won him many matches.
He’s the best at them imo.
I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who was actually rooting passionately for Higgins – and I do not often do that. 😛 Hats off to him for keeping it together after that miss of the red that made it 5-3 instead of 4-4 and the danger of Trump winning another Masters loomed large. Now I can enjoy a final as a true neutral, as I did yesterday’s second semi – otherwise I would have rooted desperately for Wilson, who is a relatively trustworthy Trump-beater. 😏
It must be tough for Judd Trump to keep losing important matches to the “Class of ’92.” In 2022, he lost the World Championship final to Ronnie; last year, the semis to Mark Williams; and now to John Higgins—even though all three are actually well past their peak and, while still good, are no longer at the level they used to be. Trump always comes across as so confident, and you get the impression that he sees himself as the greatest player of all time. That must be really frustrating for him and makes me wonder whether the top players today are actually better than the top players 20 years ago, or if the overall depth of talent has simply increased. Anyway, I’ll be rooting for Kyren Wilson today as well.
See what happens when you actually bother to turn up to tournaments instead of pulling out like a coward without giving a reason and going into hiding?
Well done John!
You don’t know what actually is going on in Ronnie’s life, or Laila’s life, other than the fact she is ill with an incurable, invalidating condition, so you have no ground nor right to judge him. Wouldn’t you stay with your partner if they were ill and going through a though time? Especially if you have nothing to prove and enough money? Is that cowardice, or is that rather being a proper human and partner?
There is literally nothing out there to support your claim that his wife has any sort of condition.
All anyone had said is that it probably has to do with tax reasons.
Let’s talk as adults shall we.
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/other-sport/missing-ronnie-osullivans-marriage-eastenders-33215238