John Higgins suffered a third straight final defeat after being thrashed 10-4 by Judd Trump in his quest for the Champion of Champions title in Bolton.
The Wizard of Wishaw has contested the final of the last three major events on the World Snooker Tour and he has come out on the losing side in all of them, following heartbreaking 9-8 defeats to Mark Allen and Neil Robertson in the Northern Ireland and English Opens respectively.
Trump's triumph was much more convincing, however, as he stormed to victory in a comfortable evening session, having trailed 3-0 early on.
Higgins trailed 5-4 going into the evening session but could only look on as Trump won five straight frame with breaks of 74, 68, 63, 62, 61, 59 and 51 to ease over the line and claim his first Champion of Champions crown.
After his victory Trump was still full of praise for Higgins, telling ITV: "John’s been amazing all season, I’ve been watching him at home getting to every final, wishing I was here.
"But I think John was in control early on and then missed one or two he wouldn’t normally miss, probably down to the late finish yesterday.
"Any win against John is incredible because he’s someone I always admired growing up. Any win against him is special.
"There has been times when I was first coming through when I’ve been 4-0, 7-2 up and every time he comes back and beats me.
‘But it’s put me in the position I am today. Any game against him is incredible for me.
"I love playing him, I still learn from him and I’ve got the utmost respect for John."
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