Champion of Champions final: Higgins stuns O'Sullivan

The Rocket, who was looking to win this event for the third time, headed into the evening session with a narrow one-frame lead but Higgins roared back to claim his second invitational tournament title in a row.

O'Sullivan's defeat was his first in this event having opted to miss it last year following his back-to-back triumphs in 2013 and 2014, while it also means he is still waiting for his first trophy of the season.

Higgins, who won the non-ranking but highly lucrative China Championship last weekend, won six of the last eight frames at the Ricoh Arena with top breaks of 86 and 83 although the only century of the final was O'Sullivan's 130 which momentarily leveled matters at 7-7.

World number five Higgins then returned with runs of 76 and 86 to take him to the brink of the triumph, and another half-century break of 58 in the 17th frame saw the Scot through to secure the winner's cheque of £100,000.

There was amusement for all in attendance during the presentation when Higgins momentarily lost concentration dropped the trophy onto the table.

"I am delighted to put my name to that list of Champion of Champions winners, it has been a good two weeks and you have to roll with it when it is going for you," Higgins said on www.championofchampionssnooker.co.uk.

"I can't speak for Ronnie but I was buzzed up coming into play. I just wish my old man was still here to see me take part in these finals.

"I thought I had missed the boat at 5-4, he missed a couple, but I never took advantage. I was thinking, is that going to give him confidence and then he will go on a roll? I stuck with it and felt great coming into tonight.

"It is up to people to think about [if I am playing as well as I ever have]. When I play like that, there is no greater feeling. You get in the balls and think you are going to clear up at every chance. I missed a couple at the end but potted a good long red to swing it back my way and finish it off. There is no better feeling than doing it in front of a packed audience, playing against somebody as good as Ronnie."

O'Sullivan admitted he just could not match Higgins' consistency.

"I tried to hang on in there today and make a game of it," he said. "John is on a roll at the minute, he is really starting to play as he did a few years ago, so for me he is probably the best player in the world at the moment."

The late rally from Higgins, who edged out Ding Junhui in the best-of-11 semi-final, was the only time in the match one player was able to move clear.

Earlier, Higgins had won the first frame with a break of 75, but O'Sullivan levelled with a 68. The Scot moved ahead again only for O'Sullivan's clearance of 88 to square things up again.

O'Sullivan, currently eighth in the world rankings, produced a break of 90 to take the lead for the first time, but Higgins responded with a 79, then a 65 which gave the Scotsman a 4-3 advantage.

Both players uncharacteristically missed easy blacks in an eighth frame which O'Sullivan edged with breaks of 61 and 27 - before the 40-year-old then gained the edge heading into the evening session of what had been a see-saw contest after Higgins missed a brown. 

Champion of Champions 2016 Daily Results

Monday November 7
Afternoon Session
Group 3 Semi-Finals (best of 7 frames)
Ronnie O'Sullivan 4-2 Robin Hull
Martin Gould 4-3 Mark Davis

Evening session
Group 3 Final (best of 11 frames)
Ronnie O'Sullivan 6-2 Martin Gould

Tuesday November 8
Afternoon Session
Group 1 Semi-Finals (best of 7 frames)
Afternoon session
Neil Robertson 2-4 Stuart Bingham
Ding Junhui 4-2 Ali CarterEvening session
Group 1 Final (best of 11 frames)
Stuart Bingham 4-6 Ding Junhui

Wednesday November 9
Afternoon Session
Group 2 Semi-Finals (best of 7 frames)
Afternoon session
Mark Selby 4-0 Liang Wenbo
Mark Allen 4-2 Joe Perry

Evening session
Group 2 Final (best of 11 frames)
Mark Selby 5-6 Mark Allen

Thursday November 10
Afternoon Session
Group 4 Semi-Finals (best of 7 frames)
Afternoon session
Shaun Murphy 2-4 John Higgins
Judd Trump 4-3 Anthony McGill

Evening session
Group 4 Final (best of 11 frames)
John Higgins 6-4 Judd Trump

Friday November 11
Afternoon session
Semi-Finals (best of 11 frames)
Ding Junhui 5-6 John HigginsEvening session
Semi-Finals (best of 11 frames)
Mark Allen 2-6 Ronnie O'Sullivan

Saturday November 12
Afternoon session
Final (best of 19 frames)
John Higgins 4-5 Ronnie O'Sullivan

Evening session
Final (best of 19 frames)
John Higgins 10-7 Ronnie O'Sullivan