John Higgins is relishing the chance to win his first silverware of the season after booking a place in tomorrow's LG Cup final at the Guild Hall in Preston with an impressive 6-2 victory over John Parrott.
The Wilshaw wizard and world number four was in sizzling form and thanks to breaks of 61 and 58 in the second and fourth frames respectively, raced into a 4-0 lead.
Parrott, a lifelong Everton fan, fought back admirably to snatch two frames in a scrappy affair after the interval. But the experienced Liverpudlian's riposte was in vain as Higgins stepped up his game and made sure he came out on top to win in just over two hours.
"I feel a 100 times better than I have for the last two years," beamed Higgins, who now meets Ken Doherty or Mark Williams, the world number one, in tomorrow's final.
"John didn't really have the run of the balls. It hinged on the second frame and it didn't happen for him. It's hard getting your first frame on the board and I was glad to go ahead like I did.
"I'm hitting the ball well and I feel I've got to prove a lot this year. Whoever I play in tomorrow's final, I think I'm in with a great chance.
"I just can't wait for the final to start. It's good to get through to the final of the first tournament of the season. I've had a decent start and I'm happy with the way I'm playing."
And Higgins, who added breaks of 81, 52 and 44 to clinch the match, admitted that he would rather play Williams in Sunday's showdown.
"I'd like to play Mark," added Higgins. "Ken's a great player but Mark's beaten me a few times, so I'd like to beat him for a change.
"I'm looking forward to watching them now, but whoever I play in the final I know it's going to be a really tough match."