Wilson defeats Higgins to claim first Masters title

An emotional Kyren Wilson claimed his first Masters title with a 10-6 victory over John Higgins in a final that failed to scale the expected heights at Alexandra Palace.

While more than 2,000 fans were still treated to a gripping affair, much of the drama originated from numerous unforced errors, as both players suffered under the intense pressure of the occasion.

However, Wilson - who took a 5-3 advantage into the concluding session - was able to hold himself together better than Higgins and eke out an 8-5 advantage, despite constructing a top break of just 49 in the first five frames of the evening.

The Englishman, who defeated the Scot en route to his only other Triple Crown success at the World Championship in 2024, got stronger with the finishing line in sight and his opponent visibly weakening.

A run of 78 carried took the world number two 9-5 ahead and, while Higgins responded with a half century to take the next, Wilson sealed his win in the 16th frame with a break of 21.

While the Paul Hunter trophy and the £350,000 top prize will be a welcome byproduct of Wilson's success, this also felt like a moment of redemption for the 34-year-old, who had lost both his previous Masters finals.

And even though he won the Shanghai Masters in August, this triumph arrives just over a month after he said he was close to having a "mental breakdown" during his last-32 defeat by Elliot Slessor at the UK Championship.

"In 2018 I lost in the final and cried and I'm trying not to cry now as it means so much to me," Wilson told BBC Sport.

"It was an honour and privilege to share the table with an idol of mine. It was just an absolute dogfight and I tried to be as dogged as John has been over the years, and that is why he has been so successful. I'm glad he's managed to give me one for a change.

"I never make it easy for myself. I always seem to do it the hard way. I don't know why, it frustrates the life out of me but I will always give it my all. Even if I'm struggling I will fight until the end until I finally get my hands on some silverware."

At the age of 50 Higgins still enters the history books by becoming the oldest finalist at one of the prestigious Triple Crown events, but will be bitterly disappointed that this simply proved a step too far.

While he had been attempting to win his third Masters title 20 years on from his last triumph at the Wembley Conference Centre, he was unable to reproduce the sort of form that had earned him victories over world champion Zhao Xintong and world number one Judd Trump earlier in the week.

A series of uncharacteristic mistakes set the tone in the opening session, when Higgins had more than enough opportunities to lead 3-1 at the mid-session interval, but instead found himself 3-1 behind.

And that carried over into the evening and eventually took its toll despite crafting breaks of 71, 61 and 70.

"The crowd were fantastic and the entrance tonight was one of the best experiences I've had as a snooker player. The conditions were absolutely fantastic as well but I was just useless," Higgins told BBC Sport.

"It's disappointing because the last two finals I've played in I've gone out like a light.

"Taking no credit away from Kyren, he was by far the better player. He was totally dominant. He's a great champion."