Masters Championship 2026: Kyren Wilson defeats John Higgins to win the first title

At 50, Higgins still entered the history books by becoming the oldest finalist in one of the prestigious Triple Crown events, but he will be bitterly disappointed that this was simply a step too far.

As he bids to win his third Masters title 20 years after his last victory at Wembley Convention Centre, he has been unable to reproduce the kind that earned him victories over world champion Zhao Xintong and world number one Judd Trump earlier in the week.

A series of uncharacteristic errors set the tone in the opening session, when Higgins had more than enough chances to go 3-1 ahead in the mid-session, but instead found himself 3-1 down.

This continued until the evening and finally had its effect despite the break of breaks 71, 61 and 70.

“The crowd were fantastic and going in tonight was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had as a snooker player,” Higgins told BBC Sport. “The conditions were absolutely fantastic but I was useless.”

“It’s disappointing because the last two finals I played in they went out like a light.

“Apart from Kirin, he was the better player by a long shot. He was absolutely dominant. He’s a great champion.”