Kyren Wilson downs John Higgins in ‘absolute dogfight’ of Masters final

Kyren Wilson has won the Masters for the first time with a 10-6 victory over John Higgins in Sunday’s final at Alexandra Palace.

The Warrior lost the first frame of the match but after claiming the next two he was never behind again in a game which didn’t quite live up to expectations.

Both men had come through back-to-back brilliant contests to reach the showpiece, which may have taken its toll on them.

Higgins downed world champion Zhao Xintong and then world number one Judd Trump, both 6-5, while Wilson beat Neil Robertson and Wu Yize, also both 6-5.

The final didn’t replicate that level of excitement, but Wilson was the worthy winner, picking up the Paul Hunter Trophy and the £350,000 top prize for his efforts.

50-year-old Higgins became not just the oldest Masters finalist, but the oldest player to appear in any Triple Crown final.

‘It means so much to me,’ said Wilson. ‘For me, it was an absolute honour and privilege to share the table with, not only a legend, but an idol of mine.

‘It was just an absolute dogfight from frame one, frame two, and I just tried to be as dogged as John has been over the years, that’s why he’s been so successful.

‘I’ll always give it my all, even if I’m not there, even if I’m struggling, I’ll fight till the end until I get my hands on some silverware and thankfully I’ve managed to do that.’

Higgins said: ‘The crowd were fantastic. The entrance tonight was one of the best experiences I’ve had as a snooker player. The conditions were fantastic, but I was just useless.

‘Take nothing away from Kyren, he was by far the better player. He was totally dominant. 10-6, it wasn’t even a 10-6 match. It’s disappointing, because the last two finals I’ve played in, I’ve gone out like a light in the final, but there we go.

‘It’s been a good week, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it. Great event, great crowd to play in front of. Just disappointed the way I performed int he final. But listen, tonight is Kyren’s night, great champion.’

Neither player could find their best form for long stretches in the final, with only flashes here and there, but there were plenty more flashes from Wilson.

Higgins actually started quite nicely in taking the first frame, but then quickly looked to be struggling and lost the next three.

The Scot scrapped to win the next two and level up at 3-3 but it had been a stodgy first session to that point from both.

That was until Wilson came to life and knocked in back-to-back centuries of 103 and 111 to take a 5-3 lead at the end of the session in style.

In the evening it looked like there was plenty of hope for the Wizard as he took two of the first three, with half-centuries in both, but then things started to fall apart.

Chances came and chances went for the 50-year-old, and the next three frames trickled away from him, with Wilson not at peak form but doing enough to go 9-5 ahead.

There was then a huge chance to win the game for the Warrior in the next, but he missed an easy black off the spot and Higgins kept the match alive with a 70.

Wilson needed more than one chance in the 16th and final frame, but he got over the line, fighting back tears as he potted the winning balls.