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Kyren Wilson made a strong start towards winning his first Masters crown as he established a 5-3 lead over John Higgins in the opening session of the final at Alexandra Palace.
Higgins, 50, the oldest finalist at one of the Triple Crown events, began confidently in his bid to win the prestigious invitational event for the first time since 2006, taking the opener with a half-century.
But the Scot was left to rue several unforced errors, which allowed the world number two to pinch the second frame and settle into the match.
That theme continued as Wilson took the next two frames to lead 3-1 at the interval, before four-time world champion Higgins took a scrappy fifth frame and again exhibited his renowned matchplay qualities to restore parity at 3-3.
However, Wilson was not to be denied an advantage heading into the evening.
He rediscovered his rhythm when compiling an up-tempo 103 break and crafted a wonderful 111 – his eighth century of the tournament – to round off the afternoon’s play.
The final two frames of the afternoon were a clear statement of intent from Wilson, who lost 10-7 to both Mark Allen (2018) and Shaun Murphy (2025) in his two previous Masters finals.
While he has won just three of his 11 previous meetings with Higgins, he will be able to draw confidence from one of those victories being on the way to winning the World Championship in 2024.
The best-of-19 encounter concludes on Sunday from 19:00 GMT, with the winner collecting a top prize of £350,000.
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