Judd Trump performed two Houdini acts worth a total of £180,000 as he beat Kyren Wilson 4-3 in the final of the Gibraltar Open.
Trump needed to win the event to usurp Neil Robertson at the top of the European Series standings and secure its six-figure bonus, and once he'd made the final that meant either collecting a total of £200,000 by winning, or a comparatively meagre £20,000 for finishing runner-up.
At 3-2 down to Wilson, it appeared as though the world champion would have to make do with the latter, before he fired his third century of the match to force a decider which he won in the style of the sport's standout star.
✅ A strange week in Gibraltar ended with a comfortingly familiar outcome
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) March 15, 2020
🏆 Judd Trump is champion, and with it he's made snooker history
👏 Keeping focus in an event without fans this weekend - another feather in the cap of a sporting greatpic.twitter.com/dxC1Vo1EXP
Earlier, Trump had come from 3-2 down to defeat Xiao Guodong in their semi-final, and Wilson may have felt as though the fortune and bravery he showed to win a tight fifth frame might finally be enough to bring down the weary king.
For the first time in this final, @KyrenWilson leads!
— World Snooker Tour (@WeAreWST) March 15, 2020
3-2
He's one frame away from his fourth ranking title #BVEuroSeries pic.twitter.com/swDzkG1k4S
And yet Trump's success since becoming world champion - which now extends to a record six ranking titles this season - has been built on more than pure potting. Here, not for the first time, he mixed style with substance, and a healthy dose of bottle.
Not that Wilson did much wrong. After a fluke opened up a chance to lead 3-2 he did the rest, and chances to close out the match never really came. Instead he was made to watch Trump seal a hugely valuable victory, one which denies Wilson a place in the Tour Championship.
Having signed off with a century against Xiao, Trump registered two more as the finalists traded blows over the opening three frames, Wilson also making a century of his own.
Three frames, three centuries!@judd147t's 1⃣4⃣4⃣ is the highest break of the tournament so far and he's back in front in the final! 🔥🔥
— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) March 15, 2020
🎱 Watch the Gibraltar Open LIVE
📺 - Eurosport 2
📱💻🖥 - Eurosport Player: https://t.co/0Fa7uXMVB9 pic.twitter.com/6rZy98N23L
Trump's 144 clearance in frame three was the highest of the tournament and gave him the lead, but it was his century in frame six - after Wilson had edged ahead thanks to a fortuitous brown - which said more about the player he has become.
The left-hander looked on course for another big score in the deciding frame only to miss a powerful black, and Wilson's excellent red to middle kept his hopes alive despite trailing 52-1.
But he was unable to add to it and with Trump dictating the lengthy safety battle which followed, it became clear that it was now Wilson who would need to conjure the spirit of an escape artist were he to win his second ranking title.
That proved beyond him, as Trump won his sixth this season, from 12 attempts. These are historic figures and, should snooker manage to keep its wheels turning through to the conclusion of his World Championship defence, the best may yet be to come.
So, @judd147t on...
— World Snooker Tour (@WeAreWST) March 15, 2020
• Becoming first ever to win SIX ranking titles in a season
• Winning £200k on Gibraltar
• Making £1m with two events to go
• Being on cusp of century of centuries
• 'Pinching' £5k from Jack Lisowski
• Playing John Higgins in Llandudno
#BVEuroSeries pic.twitter.com/aPnl2R0lVf