Paul Hunter completed an incredible fightback in the Masters final for the third time to beat Ronnie O'Sullivan 10-9 in an epic contest at Wembley on Sunday night.
The London venue is undoubtedly Hunter's favourite, and he likes doing things the hard way there. In 2001 he came from 7-3 down to beat Fergal O'Brien 10-9. A year later he overturned a 5-0 deficit to see off Mark Williams by the same scoreline. Surely he couldn't do it again?
The 25-year-old from Leeds looked dead and buried as the Rocket surged 7-2 ahead. But he refused to buckle and stormed back to triumph in a final frame thriller.
It was one of the greatest finals in living memory as Hunter showed nerves of steel in a match he never led until the final ball was potted. He made five centuries along the way.
Hunter lifted the glittering new trophy (see picture) and boosted his bank balance to the tune of £100,000. He becomes only the fourth player, after Stephen Hendry, Steve Davis and Cliff Thorburn, to win the Masters on three or more occasions.
Surviving the intense pressure of the closing stages, Hunter laid to rest the ghost of the Crucible encountered last May when he gave up a 15-9 lead in the semi-finals of the Embassy World Championship, losing 17-16 to Ken Doherty.
O'Sullivan had to settle for a runners-up cheque for £50,000 - and a taste of his own medicine. He beat Steve Davis 9-8 from 8-5 down in the Welsh Open final two weeks ago.
Fingernails were chewed to the bone throughout the venue as the deciding frame began. O'Sullivan potted two long reds but could not manufacture a scoring chance. Hunter crashed in a long pot of his own to set up the first real opportunity.
He could only make 13 but got in again with another brilliant long range red. This time he added a handy 36 to give him control of the frame. A miss on the 13th red from the Rocket proved to be his last shot as Hunter added 14 to secure victory and his sixth major title.
Hunter said: "I enjoyed every minute of it. I've done it before but no disrespect to Fergal, to do it against Ronnie is unbelievable.
"I remember watching the Masters on TV as a kid. The first time I played here as a wild-card against Mark Williams I could hardly hold the cue."
O'Sullivan said: "At the end of the day, I've lost a game of snooker... life goes on.
"Obviously, I'm a little bit disappointed but as long as everybody enjoyed the match then that's the most important thing."
Some of the players will now be involved in the World Championship qualifying stages in Wales. The European Open, in Malta between March 1 and 6, is next in line.