Ronnie O’Sullivan holds the Masters trophy after beating Joe Perry in Sunday’s final at Alexandra Palace, London.

Ronnie O’Sullivan beat Joe Perry 10-7 in the final of the Dafabet Masters late Sunday to become the first player to take the title seven times.

The Rocket had previously shared the record of six with Stephen Hendry but now stands alone with one more crown, after coming from 4-1 down to win nine of the last 12 frames against Perry at Alexandra Palace.

O’Sullivan received a cheque for £200,00 and lifted the Paul Hunter Trophy which was named after Hunter for the first time, in memory of the three-time Masters winner who died in 2006.

O’Sullivan has now won 17 Triple Crown titles in total, with five wins apiece at the World and UK Championships, which is one behind Hendry’s record of 18.

World number 13 O’Sullivan won his first piece of silverware since the Welsh Open last February, having lost in the final of the European Masters, Champion of Champions and UK Championship this season.

Formidable force

In fact, he has produced his best snooker only in spells last week – notably in his semi-final win over Marco Fu on Saturday – but, at the age of 41, O’Sullivan remains a formidable force, particularly in London where most of the 2,000-strong crowd get behind him.

It was also a landmark week for Perry as he reached the final of a Triple Crown event for the first time, albeit one which finished in disappointment as he failed to capitalise on his early dominance.

The 42-year-old received £90,000, his second biggest career pay day after the £100,000 he banked for winning the 2015 Players Championship.

“That’s probably the best win I’ve had in my life,” O’Sullivan told World Snooker.

“Given the circumstances with my cue tip (which he had to change during his match with Fu). I just managed to hold it together. I couldn’t play three quarters of the shots that I wanted to. I just had to hang in there and I’m proud I was able to do that.

“Joe’s a fantastic player. You don’t get to the final of the Masters without being a really top quality player. Even if everything had gone well for me, I’d still have had a massive match on my hands.

“Paul Hunter was a legend of the game. A beautiful guy, loved by all the players. I always say if he is looking down on us, we love you very much. You’re not forgotten.”