Stephen Ponting claimed his maiden World Championship title with an 8-4 victory over Gerwyn Price in the Bahrain Masters final.
The 39-year-old knocked out Chris Dobie in the quarter-finals and world number one Luke Humphries in the semi-finals, before easily defeating Welshman Man Price.
Earlier on Friday, Price (39 years old) caused a shock when he defeated newly crowned world champion Luke Littler 6-2 in the quarter-finals.
Littler, 17, won his first title in Bahrain last year, but was unable to match Price's performance as he averaged 115.31 points in the tournament.
However, it was Ponting, competing in Bahrain for the first time, who emerged victorious in the final.
He said on ITV that reaching a career-high No. 5 in the world made him “very strong”.
He added: “I'm playing the best I've ever played. I'm more consistent than ever and now I believe in my ability to win titles.”
“Hypnotherapy behind the scenes, and psychology in the past, took a lot of hard work.”
The Englishman has continued to impress since winning his first televised PDC title at the Cazoo Masters in February 2024.
He reached the semi-finals of the world championships at Alexandra Palace last month, but fell short against teenager Littler.
In front of a capacity crowd in Sakhir, Ponting outscored fellow debutant Dube 6-0, before beating world champion Humphreys in a match-play match 7-6.
Price, the 2021 world champion, booked his place in the final with a 7-4 victory over Scotland's Peter Wright in the semi-finals.
