John Higgins was rarely threatened on his way to the Indian Open crown, a victory that saw him rise to second in the World rankings and win his 29th title.

Higgins sees off talented youngster Xu Si with a professional performance

The multi-World champion had gradually improved throughout the tournament, registering scores of 4-3, 4-2, 4-1 and then 4-0 on his way to the semi-finals.

Shock contender Xu Si looked to cause another upset in the final four and stayed in contention during the opening frames of the contest. The Chinese teenager took the first frame before recovering with an impressive break of 91 after falling 2-1 behind. Yet a century from Higgins swayed the momentum back in his favour and Xu finally ran out of steam as he was eventually defeated 4-2.

On the other side of the draw, defending champion Anthony McGill faced his toughest match of the week after easing into the semi-finals. Mark King traded four tight frames with the Scotsman before manufacturing a break of 98 to put him just one frame away from the final. Yet McGill hit back with breaks of 68 and 55 to squeeze into successive Indian Open finals.

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McGill has no response to a classy display from the experienced campaigner

However, he was thoroughly outplayed by his compatriot in a one-sided contest. McGill potted just two balls as Higgins eased to success in the first frame before winning a tighter affair in the second. The defending champion issued a response to pull a frame back but it only served to spark Higgins into top gear.

The veteran made a break of 71 before winning a tactical contest in the fifth frame to move just one frame away from his 29th ranking title. McGill had no response, potting just one ball, as Higgins eased to a comfortable 5-1 victory.

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