Judd Trump claimed his second UK Championship title with a hard-fought 10-8 victory over Barry Hawkins at the Barbican in York.
Only Ronnie O’Sullivan, Stephen Hendry and John Higgins have won more than the 35-year-old’s tally of 30 ranking titles.
Trump had to endure a stirring fightback from Hawkins, who fought back from 9-6 to 9-8 and almost got the two snookers he required in a dramatic 18th frame to force a decider.
“It was such a hard game. The way Barry battled today considering what happened yesterday was incredible really,” Trump told BBC Sport.
“He made it so hard. He had a chance to go level and the game could have changed. I was not enjoying myself in the seat at 9-8. I just wanted it to be over with.
“Every shot I was snookered and I was thinking, ‘this could be the worst loss of all time’. It is pure relief.”
Trump, who won his previous UK crown in 2011, now has five Triple Crown titles – the same number as Alex Higgins but 18 fewer than O’Sullivan – having also won the Masters twice and the World Championship once in his career.
The world number one led 5-3 going into Sunday evening’s concluding session and knocked in two half-century breaks to retain his two-frame advantage at 7-5 going into the interval.
Hawkins, 45, searching for his first Triple Crown title 28 years after turning professional, took the next and looked well-placed to level the match at 7-7 before running out of position, allowing his opponent to pull clear again.
Trump compiled a sublime break of 133 – his highest of the tournament – as he opened up a 9-6 lead but a gutsy response saw Hawkins enjoy runs of 75 and 82 before his resistance was finally broken as he narrowly missed out on a deciding frame.
With Trump securing the £250,000 top prize, he has now tasted success at the two most lucrative ranking events on the Tour this term – having also triumphed at the Saudi Arabia Masters – to cement his status at the top of the world rankings.
Hawkins, who earned £100,000 as runner-up, had been bidding to become the oldest first-time winner of a Triple Crown event.
However, just pushing Trump close was quite a feat, given the 45-year-old began Sunday’s final barely 12 hours after concluding his semi-final win over Mark Allen.
