Australia’s 25-year-old Neil Robertson collected his second ranking title of the season when he beat Andrew Higginson in the Welsh Open.
Robertson already the seasons Grand Prix champion won the last three frames for a 9-8 victory to collect a cheque for £30,000.
He is the 22nd player in snooker history to win multiple ranking events and the fifth from overseas, following Cliff Thorburn, Ken Doherty, James Wattana and Ding Junhui. He is also among other players such as Ding and Shaun Murphy who have shared four of the six major titles this season.
Andrew Higginson who celebrated a 147 maximum during the event in the second frame of his quarter-final clash with Ali Carter pocketed a cheque for £22,000 and also received £17,500 as runner-up.
But it will be his performance that he will most cherish. He was most surely the most unlikely ranking event finalist ever and must reflect on his week fondly despite the anti-climax.
A professional for 12 years, Higginson had not even been past the last 48 of a ranking event before the Malta Cup when he reached the last 16. This week he surpassed that performance with some brilliant snooker but the ultimate glory proved just beyond his grasp.
Higginson trailed 6-2 after the first session and needed a quick start in the evening session. He won the opening frame with breaks of 54 and 36 and won the next with a 100 break, which was his ninth century of the tournament.
Higginson excited the crowds as he fought back to draw level 6-6 at the interval.
As the players started the final session it looked as though Higginson could achieve his dream when he took the first frame with a break of 64 to go ahead for the first time in the match. He took the next after a superb 81 to go 8-6 with three to play.
It was then that the pressure began to tell and as he missed a black off its spot early in the 15th frame Robertson stepped in with a 92 to end his losing sequence of six frames.
In the 16th Robertson led 39-0 when Higginson missed an easy red and Robertson took the frame to force the decider at 8-8.
Higginson tried a brave shot in the final frame which missed its target and let Robertson in to score 37.
But when Higginson missed on a long pot, Robertson added a final break of 15 which was enough to clinch the trophy and his second ranking title of the season.