Kyren Wilson claimed the 12th ranking title of his career by defeating John Higgins 10-8 in a hard-fought International Championship final in China. The 51-year-old Higgins, aiming to become snooker's oldest ranking event winner, took a 2-1 lead with a 141 break in the third frame. Wilson, coming off a Northern Ireland Open victory two weeks earlier, responded with a 94 break to move 4-3 ahead, but Higgins made runs of 71 and 75 to lead 5-4 after the afternoon session.
The pair shared the opening four frames of the evening session before Wilson won three consecutive frames with breaks of 80, 52 and 101 to take a 9-7 lead. Higgins reduced the deficit to 9-8, but a 61 break from the 2024 world champion Wilson in the 18th frame secured victory.
"It was about sticking in there and bouncing back if I made mistakes," said Wilson, who becomes the 16th player to win back-to-back ranking events. "[Higgins] has made a career out of unbelievable clearances under pressure and has been an idol of mine since I started watching the game. To play him in a final like this is a dream come true and it is an honour to win."
