John Higgins has beaten Ronnie O’Sullivan 10-7 in a epic final from two of the games greatest players
It’s been a couple of weeks all about John Higgins who last week won the China Championship, picking up a £200,000 prize and now winning the champion of champions a week later adding another £100,000 to his winning.
If there was one man who could stop him, it was Ronnie O’Sullivan but despite his best efforts, Higgins was too strong for O’Sullivan. They were neck and neck through most of the match until O’Sullivan moved to a 7-6 lead with a 130 break. From there Higgins knuckled down and took control of the match, taking the next four frames on the trot to win 10-7.
Each frame (except the last) had breaks of 60+ but lacked the quality of the semi finals that both players produced.
It’s safe to say that John Higgins is back to his best. Winning two big tournaments in the space of a week is no easy matter, especially with the high competition that’s out there at the moment. With the UK’s, Masters and the World Championships coming up, Higgins will undoubtedly be targeting those big events.
The Champion of Champions and last weeks China Championship was a huge boost in the earnings of Higgins, but unfortunately for him, as invitational events only, they do not carry any snooker ranking factors and he remains as No.6 in the world.
Ronnie O’Sullivan clearly has some work to do on his snooker. He’s not quite back to his usual great form but that is purely down to being match fit. He is getting far closer to winning titles again which his devoted fans would love to see.
The Northern Irish snooker trophy is next on the horizon, starting tomorrow from Belfast. Mark Allen, who lost in the semi final to O’Sullivan in the champion of champions has said this is the one he really wants to win. John Higgins in his current form could target this tournament to make it three in a row.
