Higgins stuns Maguire

Higgins started the session 14-10 behind after fellow Scot Maguire had hit form late on Friday night to move clear.

But the 1998 champion cut the lead to three with a hard-working clearance of 47 in the first frame of the afternoon, before a break of 104 - 13 reds and 13 blacks - kept Maguire in his chair in the 26th frame to bring the score to 14-12.

Higgins kept chipping away, although Maguire - despite looking increasingly concerned with his sudden loss of form - managed to nick the final frame before the mid-session interval to lead 15-13.

A superb 122 clearance in the first frame back after the break edged Higgins still closer, but perhaps the most critical moment came in the following frame when Maguire wasted the chance to nick it when he missed a simple pink in to the middle and Higgins stepped in to level the score at 15-15.

The final two frames were full of nerves and tension, and understandably littered with mistakes. But Higgins - renowned as one of the greatest match players in history - showed the greater measure of control to close out a superb win.

"I've not come back a lot of times in my career and that's what I was trying to block out of my mind," Higgins said afterwards.

"It means a great deal to me to be in the final," added the 31-year-old. "I still think I've got a lot to offer the game in the next 10 years or so."

A dejected Maguire was left to reflect on a golden opportunity to win snooker's biggest tournament.

"I threw away a big opportunity to win the title and I just can't believe what I've done," said Maguire. "The trophy was there for me and I think I had one hand on it. An opportunity like this might never come again."