Kyren Wilson beat John Higgins by 10-6 yesterday evening to win the Masters for the first time. I’m happy for him and for his family. They had more than their share of health concerns in recent times and Kyren is a very loveable person. That doesn’t ptrevent him to be very competititive at the table, as he proved many times and, again, yesterday.
Kyren Wilson captured the Johnstone’s Paint Masters title for the first time, beating John Higgins 10-6 in the final at Alexandra Palace.
At the age of 50, Higgins had hoped to become the oldest ever winner of a Triple Crown event, but for much of the final he was a shadow of the player who knocked out World Champion Zhao Xintong and world number one Judd Trump, making numerous unforced errors. World number two Wilson won several crucial frames in the closing stages as he pulled away from 5-4 to win five of the last seven.
Kettering’s Wilson had suffered a painful 10-7 defeat to Shaun Murphy in the final last year and also lost the 2018 final to Mark Allen by the same scoreline, but at the third time of asking the 34-year-old went all the way to snooker’s biggest invitation title. He becomes the 26th winner of a tournament which was first staged in 1975, lifting the Paul Hunter Trophy and banking the top prize of £350,000.
Just seven weeks ago at the UK Championship, Wilson was in the depths of despair after losing to Elliot Slessor in the first round. Wife Sophie had suffered health problems, while on the table Wilson had lost both his form and his cue – which was accidentally broken. With typical determination and resilience, he has fought his way back from that low point, rebuilding his confidence with the help of a new cue. And now he can celebrate one of his best career moments, perhaps second only to his 2024 World Championship triumph.
Higgins, the oldest ever finalist in a Triple Crown event, misses put on a third Masters title having lifted the trophy in 1999 and 2006, and has now lost four of his six finals. The Scot also passed up the opportunity to land a first Triple Crown success since he won his fourth World Championship in 2011; since then he has lost five finals in these three historic events.
Trailing 5-3 after the first session, Higgins made a break of 71 in the opening frame tonight to close the gap. In the next he trailed 36-48 when he went for a risky double on the penultimate red but it hit the far jaw of a centre pocket and Wilson capitalised for 6-4. Higgins led 61-15 in the 11th when he missed a routine black, and Wilson got the snooker he needed then had a chance to clear but failed to pot the final pink. A safety tussle ended when Wilson overcut a long pot and went in-off, allowing a relieved Higgins to slot in the pink. In the 12th, Higgins once again missed the black off its spot on a break of 15, and his opponent’s run of 49 left him 7-5 up at the interval.
Frame 13 came down to the colours and Higgins made a safety error on the brown, leaving it over a top corner which allowed Wilson to go three clear for the first time. A run of 78 extended his lead, and the Englishman had a match-winning chance in the next but with the balls well placed, he missed the black off its spot on 17. Higgins, who came from 9-5 down to beat Mark Williams 10-9 in the 2010 UK Championship final, gave himself hope with a run of 70.
And he had an early chance in frame 16 but made just 12, and the decisive moment came when Wilson, leading 44-12, drilled in a mid-range red and added 24 which got him past the winning post.
“In 2018 when I lost in the final I cried like a little girl, and I am trying not to cry now because it means so much to me,” said Wilson, who also won the Shanghai Masters at the start of this season and has now earned over £740,000 this term. “It’s an absolute honour to share the table with John, he is an idol of mine. It was a dog fight from the start today and I just tried to be as dogged as John has been over the years. I was always give it my all even when I am struggling, I will fight to the end until I can get my hands on some silverware. I will be proud of this win for the rest of my life.
“After the UK Championship I thought I was gone, I didn’t know if I was ever going to be back in the winner’s enclosure. It’s so important to have a cue you can trust and I came here this week with a new lease of life. I promised my mum she was going to have that bit of crystal on the table at home. I have such a supportive family, people don’t see what happens behind closed doors but I was in a bad way after the UK and it took my wife Sophie to help rebuild me.”
Higgins said: “The crowd were fantastic and so were the conditions, but I was useless. Kyren was by far the better player, he was totally dominant. The scoreline is 10-6 but it wasn’t as close as that. It’s disappointing because the last two Masters finals I have played in, I haven’t kept the same form which got me to the final. Tonight is Kyren’s night so congratulations to him.“
The score may have “flattered” John Higgins – that’s what his post match quotes suggest – but the truth is that he’s never easy to to beat, even when not at his best. He’s very clever and extremely stubborn. The latter may be a problematic character trait in your kid but it’s a huge asset in a snooker player at the table! 😂
Ronnie O'Sullivan 