World number one Mark Selby demolished Gary Wilson 10-2 in the final of the Baic Motor China Open yesterday.
The Leicester cueman dominated the best-of-19 showpiece to claim the sixth ranking title of his career and £85,000 in prize money.
Selby, who won the German Masters title in February, overcame neck pain earlier in the tournament to beat Wilson, who lies 55 places below him in the rankings.
The 31-year-old won the first three frames before Wilson fired back with a break of 91 to take the fourth.
Selby won the next two before firing a tournament high break of 145 on the way to a commanding 9-1 lead. Wilson took the next with a 101 break but it was not enough to derail Selby, who claimed the title in the 12th.
“I played well for the majority of the match,” Selby said.
“To be 8-1 up at the end of the first session probably wasn’t a fair reflection on how the match had gone, as a few frames could have gone either way but I managed to pinch them. When I was 6-1 up, it could easily have been 4-3.
“I don’t think I’ve ever won a title before without having to face a top 16 player, but that just shows how high the standard is these days because the likes of Gary and Ben Woollaston are good enough to reach finals.
“I’m really happy to win this title for the first time, especially having lost in the final twice.
“I’ll get home tomorrow, have a few days off and then get back on the practice table to prepare for the Crucible.”
Twenty-nine-year-old Wilson, who gave up snooker for several years and worked as a taxi driver before returning to the pro tour two years ago, said: “I was looking forward to being in the final, but I let myself down today because I didn’t perform the way I can.
“I’m disappointed to have played like that and lost by such a heavy scoreline. I missed a lot of chances. I can still take some positives from the tournament and look forward to the Worlds.
“Even though I beat Ding Junhui in the semi-finals yesterday, there was still something in the back of my mind saying I wasn’t playing well, and today I went backwards.
“It wasn’t pressure or nerves because I felt comfortable. I just cued across a lot of balls and played some very bad shots, which cost me a lot of frames.”