Third time lucky for Wilson
Wilson's opponent in the final, veteran John Higgins, was aiming to become the oldest winner of a major snooker title at 50 years old.
Higgins was playing in his sixth Masters final, having lifted the title twice previously. In 1999, he beat Ken Doherty 10-8 at the Wembley Conference Centre, and in 2006 he edged Ronnie O’Sullivan, recording a 10-9 victory.
Wilson had twice previously reached the final of the Alexandra Palace tournament, in 2018 and last year.
In 2018, he suffered a 10-7 loss to Mark Allen, and last time out was beaten by Shaun Murphy by the same scoreline. Despite these two losses, he had lifted the World Championship title in 2024, making Sunday's victory his second Triple Crown triumph.
In the end, it was a case of third time lucky for Wilson, who held his nerve for a 10-6 win that prevented Higgins from marking a third Masters victory of his career.
Comeback kings
This year's Masters suffered a blow before it started with the withdrawal of crowd favourite Ronnie O’Sullivan for the second year in succession. It was a setback for the snooker purists as well as the casual fan, but there was still plenty of talent on show with every single match in the opening round containing a former world champion.
The Chinese contingent were highly fancied. Wu Yize, Xiao Guodong, Si Jiahui, Ding Junhui and current world champion Zhao Xintong all took part at Ally Pally, with Wu progressing the furthest by reaching the semi-final before being knocked out by Wilson, who came from behind to record a narrow 6-5 victory.
In fact, both Wilson and Higgins were comeback kings of the tournament. Wilson twice came back from 4-5 down to win - in the quarter-final against Neil Robertson and in the semi-final against Wu.
Higgins’ comebacks were even more impressive. He twice came back from 3-5 down to record victories; first against Zhao in the quarter-finals and then in his semi-final against world number one Judd Trump.
Ally Pally delivers
Ally Pally, as the venue is affectionately known, is synonymous with darts. Luke Littler became the world’s youngest darts champion at the Palace last year, and he retained the title earlier this month. But it is also a firm favourite with the snooker faithful - not only with the crowd, but the players as well.
When Higgins and Wilson were introduced to those in attendance ahead of the final's evening session, both players were welcomed with standing ovations in what was an electric atmosphere.
Speaking after his loss, Higgins said: “The crowd were fantastic. The entrance tonight was one of the best experiences I’ve had as a snooker player.”
Such a compliment from someone playing in his 32nd Masters is telling. There’s much talk these days of the glitz and glamour of snooker in the United Arab Emirates, but venues such as Ally Pally still clearly hold their own.
Woollaston shows why she's the best
When discussing the 2026 Masters, a special mention has to be given to Tatiana Woollaston, who was refereeing a Masters final for the first time in her career.
One of the biggest compliments that can be given to a referee is that his or her performance won’t be remembered, and that was certainly the case for Woollaston, who is one of the world's best and is highly respected by all.
The Belarusian took charge of her first World Championship matches at the Covid-affected 2020 tournament, and refereed her first Triple Crown final at the 2024 UK Championship.
Perhaps summed up best by O'Sullivan recently, who labelled Woollaston as the "best ref in the world by a mile".
Eyes turn to the Crucible
The snooker calendar is a packed one. The German Masters in Berlin and the Welsh Open in Llandudno are both on the horizon before all roads lead to Sheffield for the World Championship at the HQ of snooker, the Crucible Theatre.
Yes, the Crucible is far more intimate than Alexandra Palace; there are far fewer spectators in the auditorium, but they’re closer to the action – it’s what makes the venue so special and why it sells out in minutes.
The victor? A difficult one to predict.
There will be so many in contention, including a certain 50-year-old who will be desperate to make amends for what happened in the closing stages at Alexandra Palace on Sunday. Zhao certainly can go back-to-back, but no one can discount Wilson or Rocket Ronnie.
But whether the latter will show up for the showpiece event, which he first won in 2001 when he beat Higgins in the final, only time will tell.