Shaun Murphy held off a stirring fightback from world champion Kyren Wilson to secure his second Masters title with a 10-7 win at Alexandra Palace.
Having established a healthy 6-2 advantage on Sunday afternoon, Murphy was put under extreme pressure by his fellow Englishman, as the momentum of the match shifted in the evening.
Wilson knocked in 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 to the right corner in the 16th frame, Murphy held his nerve, crafting a valuable 55 to move within a frame of victory before ending his 10-year wait to triumph in a prestigious Triple Crown event with his fourth century of the match.
“I can’t believe it – I’m in shock. If I’m totally honest I thought these days were gone,” Murphy told BBC Sport.
“When I lost to Mark Selby in 2021 [in the world final] at the Crucible, I thought my days in the business end of these events had gone.
“But everyone knows I’ve teamed up with Peter Ebdon and he’s helped me rediscover that self-belief, he’s helped remind me I used to be quite good at this. There’s still a bit of life in the old dog yet.
“I must pay tribute to Kyren – he is a great world champion. He really took it to me and there was a stage a few frames ago when it was panic stations.”
World number seven Murphy was hardly one of the main favourites when he arrived at the invitational 16-man tournament this week, having failed to taste victory in a Triple Crown event since winning the Masters in 2015.
However, he has proved a deserved winner of the Paul Hunter Trophy and the £350,000 top prize after producing arguably the best snooker of his career.
A mesmeric 147 maximum break, which underscored his success against Mark Allen in the last four also ensured that he collects the £15,000 prize awarded for the highest break.
While his heavy scoring and aggressive attacking play has delivered seven centuries over the week, four more than anyone else, crucially, his work with Ebdon appears to have reaped dividends and enabled him to retain a laser-like focus.
