John Higgins thrashes Ronnie O’Sullivan in Players Championship final

John Higgins thrashed Ronnie O’Sullivan 10-3 to win the Players Championship, and said that he’d had the “best week” of his career.

The Scot has not played O’Sullivan in the final of a ranking event since they met at the 2005 Grand Prix, with Higgins winning 9-2. And this final was a similar story of domination, compounding an impressive week in which Higgins saw off Jordan Brown, Mark Selby and Kyren Wilson, dropping just a single frame along the way.

The Rocket looked to be a tougher test and when he was at the table, he was good. But he was mostly left sitting in his chair, as the occasional reckless shot was punished by impressive and solid match play by the Wizard of Wishaw, ending his three-year drought for ranking titles with his 31st.

Higgins raced into a 5-0 lead, with impressive breaks of 92 and 68, and two consecutive centuries of 142 and 138. O’Sullivan hit an 82 to put a frame on the board – Higgins took the seventh and O’Sullivan made an excellent 144 break to end the session 6-2 down.
Higgins took three of the next four frames to lead 9-3, and the duo entered the final session with the gap looking far too big for O’Sullivan to mount a comeback. And so it proved – a 127 break sealed the win for Higgins, a display of dominance so rarely seen at the top level of the game. He put it down to a minor cueing adjustment, addressing his shot closer to the cue ball, but it shows there’s a lot of promise for the Class of ’92 to continue their hold on the game.
fulfilling the competition

I’m thinking I can go on and win more now

–John Higgins

Speaking to ITV4, Higgins said: “Amazing, if somebody had said to me that I was going to win it, I’d have thought it would be tough. But the way I felt all week, the way I was in control, I’m thinking I can go on and win more now. It’s a funny feeling. I’ve got that monkey off my back of the last three years so now I can try and push on and add more titles if I’m feeling like this.

“It’s the best week I’ve ever had. I’ve won world titles and different tournaments but, for the whole week, the way I’ve felt and the caliber of players I’ve faced, I’ve managed to win quite convincingly. It’s not really like me to do that. Normally, I’d be scrapping it out in final-frame deciders. This week, I’ve done a Ronnie by going through the field pretty easy. It’s a brilliant feeling.”

O’Sullivan, who has lost all three of his finals since being crowned world champion last year, said: “John was just unbelievable. I’ve been watching his games all week. John was solid, scored well today and was just too good. John was strong, I knew I had to play well today and maybe I put a little bit of pressure on myself thinking that I had to play as well as I could to have a chance.

“Once you don’t punish John – and he is playing as well as he is – you do a lot of sitting in your chair. Masterclass today and it’s good to see such a great player back winning. There’s not a lot you can do sometimes when someone’s as good as John and he’s tying you up in knots and making hundreds, you just have to sit it out and wait for an early night.”

Higgins has dropped out of the Gibraltar Open, and it’s clear his focus is on April’s Word Championship. He has won four world championships in the past and, if his form remains at a similar level, he will be one of the favourites to claim his fifth. As Higgins said: “If I could repeat that sort of performance, I would fancy my chances.” And after watching him come back from a form of wilderness to dispatch some of the sport’s greatest players, he’s not wrong to be optimistic.