Snooker - Welsh Open:John Higgins dominated the first session of today's totesport.com Welsh Open final against Ali Carter at the Newport Centre to establish a commanding 6-2 lead.
Higgins, the reigning world champion who overcame Ronnie O’Sullivan in the semi-finals, surged 5-0 ahead with a near-immaculate display.
Error-prone defending champion Carter could only watch in frustration as he was punished ruthlessly for any mistakes, before hitting back late in the session.
Higgins raced away with the first frame, using just the faintest amount of swerve to thread the cue ball through the narrowest of gaps and pot a red to begin a wonderful 95 clearance.
Carter cut a despondent figure as Higgins went one better, compiling a break of 101 to take the second with a superb double that was well received by the Newport crowd.
A beautiful cut blue into the middle pocket enabled Higgins to continue his domination with a poor missed red by Carter helping him establish a 3-0 lead.
Once more reduced to the role of spectator, Carter watched helplessly as Higgins produced a 137 clearance with a tricky red the highlight to enter the interval four frames ahead.
An attempted fightback by the world number five in the fifth was ruthlessly crushed by Higgins, who was brought to the table by a missed routine red from Carter and then fired 81.
Carter squandered another sitter after taking a commanding lead in the sixth but a rare error from Higgins when aiming for a red to a middle pocket allowed him back in and this time he won the frame.
An attritional seventh saw Higgins emerge winner, though he enjoyed some luck while little went Carter’s way.
The session finished on a dramatic note when Carter butchered an easy pink to conclude a break of 66 when he had the table at his mercy.
There was 67 left on the table and Higgins clinically set about reeling in his opponent, just needing the pink and black to prevail but potting the white on the former to concede the frame.