Hunter Wins in Wembley, 10 - 9

Paul Hunter, who came from 7-2 down to defeat Ronnie O'Sullivan 10-9 in another Wembley thriller and claim his third Masters title, said. “I’ve done it before but no disrespect to Fergal O'Brien, to do it against Ronnie is unbelievable.

“It wasn’t as though I played badly during the first session – I made two centuries. I just stuck in there like I’ve done before and it worked.”

Hunter’s fiancée Lyndsey Fell was, as usual, by his side and the 25-year-old from Leeds quipped. “Of course, it was all down to Plan B again!

“I have always been a good break-builder but my safety play has improved over the years. It had to. If you let Ronnie off the hook he’s going to punish you and that’s what happened this afternoon.”

As for his love affair with Wembley, Hunter said. “I remember watching the Masters on television as a kid. The first time I played here as a wild-card against Mark Williams I could hardly hold the cue.

“I knew then that I really wanted to win this tournament because there’s such a great atmosphere here; it’s such a great venue. Now I’ve won it three times.”

Victory went some way to making up for the shattering disappointment of losing 17-16 to Ken Doherty in the semi-finals of last year’s Embassy World Championship after leading 15-9.

“I was disappointed to lose that match. I’m not going to deny it; I was really gutted. That was the most hurt I have ever felt in my life over a snooker match.

“But, like Ronnie says, it’s only a game. It was the end of the season and I just had to get over it. I had a couple of months off, then went back to practice and tried to forget about it.”

O’Sullivan, who won a final-frame decider against Steve Davis to win the Welsh Open two weeks ago, said. “At the end of the day, I’ve lost a game of snooker. Paul played well and deserved to win. It was a good match to be involved in and life goes on.

“There’s always two sides to every story. Obviously I’m a little bit disappointed but as long as everybody enjoyed the match then that’s the most important thing.“Paul came out with all guns blazing tonight, made some good breaks and was hard to beat. That’s why he’s such a great player. He plays well, he’s a tough competitor. That’s why he has now won the Masters three times.”

World Snooker - 9/2/2004