Walden aims to build on Shanghai victory

Ricky Walden hopes to build on his outstanding victory in the Shanghai Masters by going on to win more titles. The 25-year-old from Flintshire pulled off a massive surprise at the Grand Stage with a 10-8 final victory over snooker's dominant force, Ronnie O'Sullivan on Sunday.

Walden had never previously advanced beyond the quarter-finals of a ranking event, but he has now emphatically shrugged off the under-achiever tag.

"I'm thrilled to bits to win my first tournament," said Walden. "I hope I can go on and achieve more now. I want to get into the top 16 and win more tournaments."

The former world under-21 champion missed a clear chance to win the match 10-7, but bounced straight back in the next frame to clinch it with a classy century.

"I felt sick when I missed the red at 9-7 because I knew what a good chance it was," he said. "I lost concentration because I was thinking about lifting the trophy.

"I thought I could be sitting down for the next two frames. But when my next chance came along I managed to stay calm and take it."

A cheque of £52,000 means that it's by far Walden's biggest pay-day.

O'Sullivan missed out on winning three consecutive ranking titles for the first time in his career - indeed he would have been the first player to achieve that since Hendry in 1993.

"I'm disappointed to lose although my expectations were never that high because I know I can play like that sometimes," he said. "I played ok this afternoon but tonight I was poor. Ricky he's been a good player for a while so I'm glad he's won something."