John Higgins quickly shrugged off the disappointment of losing last year's Embassy World Championship final as he set a blistering pace at the start of the 2001/02 season.

Higgins, who was beaten by Ronnie O'Sullivan at The Crucible in April, pocketed �250,000 in just seven weeks as he completed a quickfire hat-trick.

Victories at the Champions Cup, the Regal Masters and the British Open saw the 'Wizard of Wishaw' become the first man ever to claim the first three tournaments of the season.

The first success, back in the second week of August was achieved in some style.

Hat-trick hero

Higgins was wobbling against world number one Mark Williams as he trailed their Champions Cup final clash 4-2 in Brighton.

One month on Higgins gained revenge for his defeat at The Embassy as he blew away O'Sullivan on home soil to take the Regal Masters in Glasgow.

He then set his sights on completing his hat-trick at the British Open in Newcastle in October.

Fellow Scot Graeme Dott did his best to prevent the inevitable, but Higgins' roll continued with a 9-6 win.

Higgins, whose wife Denise had given birth to their first child Pierce a week earlier, chirped: "After winning the Regal I didn't think life could get any better, but it just has."

And, for now at least, that is as good as it did get for Higgins.

Much has been made of his dip in form since the birth of his child.

Rocket enters the fray

He was thrashed by Stephen Lee at the quarter-finals of December's UK Championship and is desperate to raise his game.