The youngest ever champion Yan beats Higgins in Masters Final. The 20-year-old Yan Bingtao comes from behind to beat John Higgins to become the youngest Masters champion in 26 years.
Yan Bingtao’s superb fightback stunned John Higgins as he becomes the youngest Masters champion in 26 years.
The youngster pinched two frames on the black, in between a 103 break to go 8-7 ahead. Higgins halted the slide with 63 but Yan’s 70 and 64 gave him a famous victory.
China’s Yan was making his Masters debut and at the age of 20 is a year older than Ronnie O’Sullivan was when he became the youngest champion by beating Higgins in 1995 final.
It was world number 11 Yan’s first major title, adding to the Riga Open ranking event that he won last season.
Higgins led 5-3 and 7-5 but Yan won five of the next six to triumph 10-8.
The Sheffield-based player lifted the Paul Hunter trophy and took home a hefty £250,000 in prize money – the biggest payday of his highly promising career.
The first Masters final without spectators in attendance delivered a classic encounter, with the tournament being played behind closed doors at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes because of the coronavirus pandemic.
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