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Scotland's John Higgins won his third World Snooker Championship after beating Shaun Murphy 18-9 in the final at the Crucible in Sheffield.

Exactly 11 years to the day after winning his first world crown, the 33-year-old took just three frames of the final session to win the two needed to secure the title he also won in 2007.

Coming into the evening session 16-8 ahead, Higgins picked up where he left off from the afternoon's play.

The Scot - nicknamed the Wizard of Wishaw - potted five consecutive blacks to provoke thoughts of a possible maximum 147, but after a canon into the pack of reds did not yield many options, he had to make do with just the 48, and sealed the frame later with a further break of 58.

The second frame of the session was Higgins's 1000th at the Crucible, an achievement only five other players have bettered.

However, Murphy was in no mood to help that particular fairytale ending transpire, working around the pink for a break of 59 that ultimately sealed the frame.

Murphy had been impressive en route to the final, but the latter stages of the match itself were partly defined by the several mistakes he made.

A loose safety shot at the start of the 27th frame allowed Higgins to compile a 32 break before returning to the table to rack up the 84th century of this year's tournament and secure the world title for a third time.

THIRD SESSION

John Higgins moved to within just two frames of his third World Championship title after ending the third session 16-8.

Entering the afternoon session on the final day 11-5 up, two-times champion Higgins got the better of Murphy over a series of tight frames that could have gone either way.

In the first, Murphy came to the table 44-1 down and made short work of reducing that deficit. However, facing a yellow that would have levelled the frame, he failed to pot it - and Higgins cleared up to extend his lead to six frames.

Unperturbed, Murphy hit back in the following frame, potting eight blacks on the way to a break of 91.

A tense climax to the 19th frame saw the score at 49-49 with the final three colours remaining and the pink over the corner pocket. Higgins snookered himself after he potted a good long blue, but he hit a shot off the opposite cushion and brushed the pink just enough to see it drop and go 13-6 up.

In the final frame before the mid-session interval, Higgins missed a pink that would have brought up a half-century and Murphy took the initiative to begin his fightback with an excellent planted red. However, he was unfortunate to see the final, finely-cut red stay over the pocket, allowing Higgins to clinch his third frame of the session.

After the interval, Murphy responded to a good safety shot with a stunning red down the full length of the table. He finished the frame at that visit with some good work with the rest to ensure that the final would make it to an evening session.

Murphy began the next frame badly by potting the cue ball, but recovered well to rack up a break of 72 with an excellent pot on the final red along the cushion the key shot of the frame.

In the penultimate frame of the session, featuring the longest safety battle of the session, Higgins came from behind to register another half-century break before snookering his opponent, who could only hit the black off two cushions and see his hopes of taking four consecutive frames evaporate.

Higgins also took the final frame of the session after snookering Murphy on the yellow to win the session 5-3 and close in on the title.

SECOND SESSION

John Higgins seized control of the final, taking an 11-5 lead over Shaun Murphy after the second session.

With the match tied at 4-4 following the afternoon session, Higgins was quick to stamp his authority upon it, and compiled 98 over the course of two breaks to take an early lead.

The Scot looked to be heading towards another commanding break, but missed a soft red to the middle pocket, enabling Murphy to level the scores again with a brisk 52.

The 11th frame was edged by Higgins in another tense affair, a sublime snooker enough for him to outwit his opponent in a safety exchange which ultimately made the difference as he reached 70.

Despite looking slightly weary, Higgins then held his composure to make a steady break of 95 - falling just short of his century with a missed brown - and establish a 7-5 lead going into the mid-session interval.

It was during the tactical battles that Higgins so often seized the initiative, and he did so again in the 13th frame, scoring 70 after a superb safety on the final red.

But the Scot was more emphatic in the 14th frame, making a faultless break of 128 to open up a four-frame lead, scoring his 10th century of the tournament in the process.

Higgins was relentless, a Murphy error from the baulk end enough for his opponent to stretch his lead to five frames in the penultimate frame of the session.

The final frame was duly won by Higgins, who pounced on a favourable scattering of reds to compile another century break and win the second session 7-1 - and take control of the match.

FIRST SESSION

Murphy staged an impressive comeback in the opening session to go into Sunday evening level at four frames apiece.

Higgins raced to a three-frame lead before Murphy showed great character to claw back the deficit and take a 4-3 advantage - but the Scot then clinched the final frame of the session to regain parity.

Higgins was widely expected to be the more fatigued going into the final after a gruelling run of games, but the Scot started briskly, taking the opening frame with a composed break of 78.

The second began with Murphy in the ascendency before surprisingly missing a red with the rest, allowing Higgins to further stamp his authority on the match with a break of 52.

The third frame began with an extended safety exchange, with both players squandering opportunities early on, but the Scot eventually compiled 79 to further stretch his lead to three.

But Murphy showed great resolve as he responded with a break of 58 to reduce the deficit to 3-1 going into the mid-session interval.

A re-rack seemed imminent at times during a very scrappy fifth frame, but Murphy was afforded the opportunity to seal it following a stunning long red and he duly closed it out, scoring 96 to narrow his opponent's lead to one.

Murphy then levelled the scores at 3-3 with a sublime break of 109 to leave Higgins shaking his head ruefully after he had an aberration in attempting a relatively simple safety shot.

In an error-strewn seventh frame, the black was effectively out of play for long periods as both players frequently played for the blue, but Murphy again edged out his opponent, potting the blue and pink to complete his comeback.

The eighth frame was decidedly cagey, but after a number of fragmented tactical battles, Higgins finally edged it, compiling 69 to level the opening session at 4-4.

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Tony Mabert / Dan Quarrell / Eurosport