Wilson Edges Higgins 10-8 to Win Snooker Crown

Kyren Wilson beat John Higgins 10-8 in a thrilling International Championship final in Nanjing on Saturday, claiming the 12th ranking title of his career and his second in two events. The 34-year-old from Kettering, England, known as the Warrior, held off a stirring fightback from the 51-year-old Scot to win a pulsating contest of heavy scoring, dramatic steals and missed chances.

The victory, worth £175,000, came two weeks after Wilson won the Northern Ireland Open in Belfast, where he thrashed Jak Jones 9-2 in the final. It made him only the 16th player in snooker history to win back-to-back ranking events, and extended his winning run to 12 matches. Higgins, appearing in his 61st ranking final, led 5-4 after the afternoon session and was bidding to become the oldest ranking event winner in the sport's history, but Wilson found an extra gear in the evening to deny him.

Afternoon honours shared in Nanjing

Wilson opened the title-deciding showdown well, taking the first frame with the help of a break of 58, before Higgins responded to ensure that both players quickly established a foothold in the contest. From then on it was big breaks galore, as Higgins compiled a stunning total-clearance 141 to take the lead, only for Wilson to fight back with runs of 69 and 94. Higgins, though, won three of the remaining four frames of the opening session with contributions of 56, 71 and 75 to orchestrate a 5-4 lead at the interval.

The final was a rerun of the Masters final from earlier this year at Alexandra Palace, where Wilson again got the better of Higgins, and it carried extra meaning for the Scot. Higgins had been beaten by Wu Yize in last year's International Championship final, and he arrived in Nanjing determined to go one better. Wilson's week, meanwhile, had begun with controversy amid his unsporting behaviour in a round-of-64 match against Liam Highfield, but he ended it holding the trophy in his hands courtesy of playing some of his best-ever snooker.

Wilson finds the extra gear in the evening

In many ways the first four frames of the evening session were dominated by Wilson, who tallied runs of 70, 65, 130 and 54. Yet somehow that mini bout of play ended with Higgins retaining his lead, as the Scot, in trademark fashion, responded twice when far behind to pinch both the 11th and 13th frames with remarkable clearances. Neither player seemed ready to wilt, and Wilson returned from the last mid-session interval by making an 80 break to restore parity at 7-7.

The first true signs of pressure were displayed in the 15th frame, as the 2024 world champion missed a routine black off the spot, only for Higgins to later send a blue off the spot wide when seemingly in position to steal yet another frame on the colours. Wilson took advantage of his reprieve by potting the blue, pink and black to lead for the first time since the afternoon session. He got in early again in the next frame, duly orchestrating a brilliant 101 to become the first of the pair to eke out a two-frame advantage at 9-7.

The closing frames and the history books

The pair traded misses in the 17th frame as Higgins, who at 51 was bidding to become the oldest-ever ranking event champion, just about managed to keep his hopes alive and cut the deficit to 9-8. Yet Wilson got more opportunities in the 18th frame and avoided the decider the final arguably deserved, needing a few bites at the cherry to ultimately clinch glory. He squandered a match-winning break in the final frame and nearly let Higgins back in, with the Scot needing three snookers, but it was ultimately too much for Higgins, who handed Wilson a simple brown to seal the match before a 61 break closed it out.

The result also settled several pieces of snooker history. Wilson's victory took his career tally to a dozen ranking titles and made him the 16th player to capture two ranking titles on the trot on the World Snooker Tour. For Higgins, defeat meant he must wait to become the first player to win a title in his 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s, and it left time running out for a Class of '92 trophy lift in 2026 for Higgins, Ronnie O'Sullivan and Mark Williams. Wilson was generous in victory, hailing Higgins as the most complete snooker player of all time, a tribute from one champion to another after a final worthy of the occasion.

What this win means for Wilson

Wilson's form in China confirmed his 2024 world title at the Crucible Theatre was no one-off, and that he is now winning the biggest matches regularly. Back-to-back titles, a 12-match winning run and a second victory over Higgins in a major final this year all point to a player at the peak of his powers, comfortable in the closing frames of the biggest occasions. The Wizard of Wishaw, meanwhile, showed once again that age is no barrier to reaching finals, even if the record he chased must wait.

For Higgins, the defeat will sting, but his snooker across the week in Nanjing proved he remains a force at the very top of the game. For Wilson, the £175,000 cheque and the trophy matter most, yet the manner of the win may matter more: outplayed in patches, outstayed in others, he still found the breaks when the match was on the line. That is the mark of a champion, and on Saturday night in Nanjing, Kyren Wilson proved it again.