Higgins to face Wilson after thrilling Masters semis

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.

After defeating Chinese debutant Wu Yize 6-5 in another thrilling last-four encounter, the Scot will now face Kyren Wilson in Sunday’s best-of-19 showpiece match, which will begin at 13:00 GMT.

Higgins appeared to be working hard in the opening three frames of his seven matches against Trump, making a number of errors.

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.

By the time Higgins and Trump’s epic encounter had come to an end, Wu and Wilson both had already made their way to Alexandra Palace.

No matter how unlikely it had been for them to have defeated Neil Robertson and Xiao Guodong, respectively, in the quarter-finals, they still delivered a drama-filled match for more than 2, 000 fans inside Alexandra Palace.

Wu, 22, won his first ranking at the International Championship in November, underscoring his status as one of the sport’s greatest new talents.

He also showed that he was not overawed when he won the tournament’s biggest stages by taking the lead with a 75-run lead and building a further 50-century to share the frames with the 2024 world champion.

Wu delivered the perfect riposte knocking in breaks 74, 87, and 58 to move into the frame of his first Triple Crown final as world number two Wilson appeared to be leading 4-2.

However, he was forced to spend the 10th frame by missing a routine red in the right corner.

Wilson let his emotions out after holding his nerve to deliver a sublime match-winning contribution of 116, which Wilson claimed was on the verge of a “mental breakdown” following his last-32 defeat at the UK Championship.

“Wu Yize will continue to exist for a significant period of time. I didn’t participate in any races. Wilson said, “I don’t know where I found those final two frames.”

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.