Higgins defeats Trump in thriller to reach Masters final

Judd Trump’s world-record-breaking 6-5 victory by John Higgins stunned him as he won the first Masters final since 2021 by beating him at 3-1 and 5-3.

The Scot’s errors in the opening three frames gave off the impression that he was laboring after losing his previous seven games to the Englishman.

However, Trump, whose best break to that point was just 60, was a lapse, allowing Higgins to reclaim the lead in the fourth frame.

Higgins, who won the second of his two Masters titles 20 years ago, told BBC Sport, “He should have been 4-0 in front and I maybe made it too easy for him.”

“I felt good at 3-1 because if he goes 4-0, it’s done,” said one viewer.

“People will make fun of me, but I believe I’m now a better player than I’ve ever been. You have lost so many games against Judd, and you play these legendary champions like Judd.

Higgins, 50, also placed fifth with a superb 104 break as the momentum was shifting.

After his rival’s red card failed, the Englishman pinched the sixth and eighth frames with a half-century later than Higgins, who made a 57 clearance in a similar fashion, taking frame seven.

With just four balls to go, Trump, 36, who has typically held sway in meetings between the pair since winning the 2019 world championship, surprisingly missed a routine brown with a win.

In order to complete a remarkable turnaround and become the oldest player to reach the final of a Triple Crown event, Higgins needed the motivation to craft pressure-breaks of 70 and 57 in a row.

Higgins, a member of the infamous “Class of 92,” along with Mark Williams and Ronnie O’Sullivan, has repeatedly understated his chances of capturing his first Triple Crown since 2011.

Since he won his fourth World Championship title, there have been a number of harrowing losses in the sport’s majors, three of which have come in consecutive Crucible finals between 2017 and 2019.

He lost to Yan Bingtao in the only other final at this prestigious invitational tournament in 2021, and he hasn’t had success at the Masters since 2006.

He has appeared revived since winning the World Open just over a year ago, having briefly fallen out of the top 16 spots after a four-year title drought.

And after staring down the barrel in both of his matches, his fiercely competitive match play, which has never been in doubt, has now allowed him to dispatch the reigning world champion and Trump in successive matches.

“I didn’t give up even with 5-3 down.” Zhao Xintong was the same opponent, according to Higgins.

“Who knows, maybe the trophy belongs to me?” You are simply ignorant. With so many years to go, I’ve probably been watching these finals back home.