Peter Ebdon:

I've never been as proud of myself in my entire career. In many ways I have to rate it as the best win I've ever had because it means so much to me to beat John in a long match. I have so much respect for John. He's a wonderful human being, a fantastic ambassador for snooker and probably the toughest match player I've ever played. The quality of the match was mind-blowing. I just felt he wouldn't crack and I felt strong in myself that I wouldn't crack either. It was like the irresistible force meeting the immovable object and it was a pleasure to be involved in such a high-quality match. You know you have to take yourself to that level when you play John. You have to try to compete with him in every department. He's like a machine.

John Higgins:

It just didn't go my way tonight. My concentration just went out of the window at a crucial time. But take nothing away from Peter. He played very well all through the match and thoroughly deserved to win. It was a really good game apart from us missing one or two long balls. It was to-ing and fro-ing and just little rubs at this standard can be the pivotal moments.