Stephen Hendry clearly has too much time on his hands...

The seven-time world champion put back plans to make a comeback after withdrawing from the new Pro Series, which starts on Monday.

The Scot, retired in 2012 but I'll be honest I'd love to see him on a snooker table sooner rather than later.

Steve Davis
Six-time world champion on BBC Two

John Higgins has been given a chance to get back into it. Yan Bingtao has been pretty open. It is great if it works but you have to knock in a high percentage of long balls to play that way.

It could be the way to stop it getting tactical and John Higgins getting the advantage that way.

Stephen Hendry
Seven-time world champion on BBC Two

Higgins would like to have made the century and cleared the table and really given himself the rhythm and confidence going into frame five.

He played an aggressive and positive shot early on into the pack and it would have given him a boost.

That's a break of 63 from John Higgins. His highest in the match so far.

And it's enough to go into the interval all square.

A bit like this eh Steve?

Steve Davis
Six-time world champion on BBC Two

What you do have with John, is that he has the ability to forget what has happened and look forward with optimism for the rest of a match.

He will be hoping to get a bit of rhythm and freedom going.

Early chance for Higgins to put some serious points on the board goes begging as he loses position on eight.

Yan's happy to throw his arm at a few longish pots though that were dropping in the first frame, but haven't been since.

Absolutely no thought of any safety with this one to the bottom right bin, which leaves him perfect on the black. Only problem is that the red hasn't dropped. Good chance here for Higgins to stay out of his seat for a while.

Stephen Hendry
Seven-time world champion on BBC Two

Higgins will be fuming he way he has started this final, he wanted to come out against someone inexperienced and stamp your authority.

Higgins has looked anything but confident and looks like a man who has not been in a Masters final for 15 years.

Higgins is very nervy, he said the semi-final was the most difficult match, so you would think he could relax today. A very edgy start.

Yan missed a green along the cushion, which was not easy, but he looks cool and calm around the table. You can win these long, first-to-10 matches in the first session, break the back of it.

Steve Davis
Six-time world champion on BBC Two

You don't expect the likes of these finalists to miss the easy balls that they have missed so far. It was not that thin a cut for John on the blue. He will be distraught with this.

John Virgo
1979 UK Championship winner on BBC Two

That will really hurt John Higgins. Yan Bingtao will be very relieved to win it.

Yan leaves John with a delicate cut on the blue over the middle....which he misses.

You could not make this up. Terrible miss which leave Yan the chance to clear up.

Frame over.

Yan can't believe it. He rattles through the balls until reaching the aforementioned green...

It's a horrible angle and he sees the green rattle in the jaws of the top right bag and stay right over the pocket.

John Higgins clips the green in but then puts too much welly into his pot on the brown to lose position on the blue. This is unbelievable.

Yan makes 26 and then leaves himself with a rest shot to the bottom corner.

It wipes it feet but drops. He'll be a relieved man. All the balls bar the green are in the open. Can he finish the job?

John Virgo
1979 UK Championship winner on BBC Two

We may have a new favourite for the frame.

Champagne momentpublished at 14:08 Greenwich Mean Time 17 January 2021

14:08 GMT 17 January 2021

Frame Three: Higgins 1-1 Yan

What. A. Shot.

Yan's tucked up an inch or two off the bottom rail but takes on a risky red to the left middle and is rewarded as it disappears into the pocket.

That could be a frame-winning pot.

Higgins makes 40 but then misses an easyish black. I didn't see that one coming.

Yan makes an absolute hash of a red into the bottom left corner, potting the red but leaving himself snookered among the remaining reds.

We've all hit them!

Wow he then misses the black playing off the cushion. This trip to the table has cost him six points.

Ken Doherty
1997 world champion on BBC Two

John has made a few technical changes to his game. He feels he has a little bit more control by having his hand closer to the tip of the cue ball and he is playing with a new cue.

Ohhhhh. How did that not drop? Yan takes a tricky red on that you'd sort of fancy him on but it wobbles in the jaws of the bottom right corner.

Looks like Higgins could get his cueing arm going here.

An early gift of six points from Yan who is a little loose with his safety and lands the white on the pink rather than the side of the pack, which was his intended target.

Fast forward a few shots and this time a Higgins mistake leaves Yan with a very clippable red to the bottom right.

In it goes. Now is he going to play safe or go bold by taking the brown to the right middle? Big shot. But in goes the brown.

John Virgo
1979 UK Championship winner on BBC Two

John Higgins will not be too pleased because he won the second frame from mistakes by his opponent rather than his own good play.