Anthony McGill wins Indian Open to break ranking-title duck
Saturday 9 July 2016 16:47, UK
Anthony McGill won his first ranking title by beating Kyren Wilson 5-2 in the final of the Indian Open in Hyderabad.
The 25-year-old from Glasgow beat Stuart Bingham, Stephen Maguire and Shaun Murphy to reach the final before seeing off Kettering's Wilson, who was appearing in his second ranking final having won last season's Shanghai Masters.
It was the first ranking final between two players aged 25 or under since the 2011 UK Championship when Judd Trump beat Mark Allen, while McGill's win saw him land the £50,000 top prize and move up to a career-high 18th in the world rankings from 29th.
The first four frames of the final were shared, Wilson making the better breaks with 65 in the second and a 50 clearance in the fourth. McGill then took control after the interval as a run of 96 put him ahead and he controlled the sixth frame to lead 4-2.
Both players had chances in the 39-minute seventh frame and it came down to the last red. McGill potted the red to a centre pocket to initiate a match-winning clearance which included an excellent green to gain position on the brown.
Victory for the Scot also earned him a place in the Champion of Champions tournament in Coventry in November.
Wilson earned £25,000 and moves up one place on the ranking list to 15th.
Earlier in the semi-finals, McGill came from 2-0 down to beat Murphy 4-2, clinching victory with a superb 64 clearance in frame six, while Wilson saw off veteran Nigel Bond 4-1 with a top break of 72.
