Australian Neil Robertson suffered a heavy loss in the first snooker tournament of the new Players Tour Championship season, beaten 4-1 by John Higgins in the final of the Bulgarian Open in Sofia.
Higgins did not pot a ball in the opening frame but won the next four in succession in front of a large crowd at the Universiada Hall.
After a break of 63 gave left-handed Robertson the upper hand, Higgins hit back with a break of 60 in the next to level the scores.
Robertson then hit the pink when attempting a straightforward escape from a snooker in the third frame and Higgins took full advantage with a run of 73, before taking the next as well thanks a superb 118 clearance.
Another century looked on the cards in the final frame, but Higgins had to settle for a break of 82 after Robertson had gone in-off when attempting a long red.
Earlier in the day, Higgins had beaten Fergal O’Brien 4-2 in the quarter-finals before coming back from 2-0 down to beat Ronnie O’Sullivan 4-2 in the semi-finals, the world champion not potting a single ball in the final three frames.
Robertson had recovered from 3-0 down to beat Barry Hawkins – runner-up to O’Sullivan at the Crucible – in the last four after beating namesake Jimmy Robertson 4-2 in the quarter-finals.