England's Peter Ebdon clinched the World Snooker China Open title in Beijing on Sunday night with a hard-fought 10-8 victory over higher-ranked John Higgins.

The 38-year-old collected the trophy and a check for 52,000 ($78,000) at Beijing Students University Stadium after winning a ranking tournament in China for the first time in his 18-year professional career.

Ebdon, ranked 9th in the world, was always a threat in the best-of-19 encounter but was unable to stretch his lead against world No 5 Higgins to more than two frames.

He eventually saw out the match with the aid of a break of 71 in the 18th frame to claim his first ranking event in over two years.

"To win here is a dream and a reward for all the hard work I've put in. I'm incredibly proud of this achievement, and in terms of what it means to me, I'd put it close to winning the world and UK titles.

"I've turned my season around, and with two weeks of hard practice, and if I can keep the same character and spirit that I showed tonight, I'll prove difficult to beat at the Crucible."

(China Daily April 7, 2009)