Shaun Murphy withstood a tough fight from world champion Kyren Wilson to claim his second Masters title with a 10-7 win at Alexandra Palace.
Having built a healthy 6-2 lead on Sunday afternoon, Murphy was put under intense pressure by his English team-mate, as the momentum of the match changed on the evening.
Wilson knocked breaks of 95, 78 and 65 as he won five of the first seven frames to reduce his arrears to just one frame at 8-7.
However, when he missed a long red kick into the right corner in the 16th frame, Murphy held his nerve, making a valuable 55 to move within the victory frame before ending his 10-year wait to win the prestigious Triple Crown event with his team. Fourth century of the match.
Murphy told BBC Sport: “I can't believe it, I'm in shock. If I'm completely honest, I thought those days were over.”
“When I lost to Mark Selby in 2021 [in the world final] In the Crucible, I thought my days at the end of these events were over.
“But everyone knows I teamed up with Peter Ebdon and he helped me rediscover that self-belief, and helped remind me that I was good at this. There's still a bit of life in the old dog even now.”
“I have to give credit to Keirin – he's a great world champion. He really took it to me and there was a point a few shots ago when it was panic stations.”
World number seven Murphy was not one of the major favorites when he reached the 16-player invitational tournament this week, having failed to taste victory in a Triple Crown event since winning the Masters in 2015.
However, he proved worthy of winning the Paul Hunter Trophy and the £350,000 top prize after producing the best snooker game of his career.
A magical maximum break of 147, which confirmed his success against Mark Allen in the quarter-finals, also ensured he received the £15,000 prize awarded to the highest break.
While his massive scoring and aggressive attacking play netted seven centuries over the course of the week, four more than anyone else, it is crucial that his work with Ebdon appears to have reaped rewards and enabled him to retain laser-like focus.
