Higgins Triumphs over Trump to Win League Final

John Higgins has claimed victory in the 2023 BetVictor Championship League Invitational, defeating Judd Trump 3-1 in an intense final held at the Morningside Arena in Leicester. The Wizard of Wishaw secured his second consecutive win in the tournament and also earned himself a spot in the upcoming 2023 Champion of Champions event, which is set to take place in November.

Higgins started strong in the final, scoring a break of 62 to take the first frame before Trump responded with a century break of 100, his 899th career century. However, Higgins managed to regain the lead with a score of 78 before winning a scrappy fourth frame to take the title. The victory marked the Scottish player’s first tournament win since his success in the same event a year earlier.

“It feels amazing,” said Higgins, who also earned a total of £26,500 from the tournament. “I played really well the last couple of days, I was delighted with the way I hit the ball. It’s a big tournament in its own right now. It gets you into the Champion of Champions. It’s brilliant to win it and hopefully, it can give me a bit of confidence.”

Higgins also spoke about his decision to make some changes to his cue, saying, “I got some work done to my cue, but I am going back to my roots with the same size of the cue. It seemed to work. It’s given me confidence. It’s all about confidence in this game.”

Earlier in the tournament, Kyren Wilson had taken a 2-0 lead over Higgins in a dramatic semi-final, scoring breaks of 137 and 85, but Higgins fought back with 86, 61, and 66 to win 3-2. Meanwhile, Judd Trump had an easier time in his semi-final match, defeating Neil Robertson 3-0.

The 2023 Champion of Champions event is scheduled to be held at the Bolton Stadium Hotel, University of Bolton Stadium from November 13-19. Tickets for the event will go on priority sale on Monday, March 13th, followed by a general sale on Monday, March 20th.