Wu Yiz defeated John Higgins to win the International Championship – his first ranking title

China’s Wu Yiz defeated John Higgins 10-6 in the final of the international tournament to win his first rankings title.

The 22-year-old homegrown player hit four centuries in Nanjing, including a break of 137, in a stunning display that lifted him into the world’s top 16 for the first time.

Four-times world champion Higgins, 50, hit a break of 101 in the third frame, but the Scot was unable to keep pace as he looked to become the first player to win a rankings title in five different decades from his teens to his 50s.

Wu impressed to seal the win with another century break of 108 and become the 80th player to win a professional ranking event title.

“Honestly, it feels incredible,” Wu said.

“Deep down, I always believed that I had the ability to win a title. Every day I thought about it. I had a strong will to lift the trophy. This belief carried me throughout this week.”

“I wasn’t good enough all day,” Higgins said. “He was hitting the ball beautifully. He was the better player by a long way. It reminded me a lot of playing with Paul Hunter – the way he passes the ball and moves on it so much. He’s a great player.”

“There’s no sense in holding back too much. It could open the floodgates – it shows snooker is in good hands. I’m happy because I’ll probably be retiring in a couple of years with guys like that walking away from the lampshades. He’s a total star.”