Robert Milkins has recorded a 9-7 victory over Shaun Murphy to win the Welsh Open in Llandudno.
Having recently reached the semi-finals of the German Masters, Milkins went into this tournament playing some of the best snooker of his career, and the veteran has capitalised to win just his second ranking title.
Murphy made the faster start to the final, taking the opening two frames, but Milkins halved the deficit and rallied after the interval with a 66 break upon the resumption of action.
Two frames later, the 46-year-old was ahead at 4-3, only for Murphy to take the final frame of the afternoon session to level the match level at four apiece.
EMOTIONAL SCENES! 🥺
— World Snooker Tour (@WeAreWST) February 19, 2023
A life-changing day for @robmilkins147, the greatest of his career.
📺 @BBCWales | @discoveryplusUK | @Eurosport | #HomeNations 🏴 pic.twitter.com/AcXZKaVGdz
Milkins traded breaks of 55 and 70 to extend the score to 5-5, but Milkins won the 11th on a re-spotted black to keep the momentum in his favour.
Murphy ended a two-frame rut to make a break of 64 in the 13th frame, reducing the deficit to 7-6, although the former world champion soon witnessed Milkins move to within one frame of the win.
To his credit, Murphy responded with a sublime 114 to heap the pressure on his opponent, only for Milkins to build an unassailable lead in the 16th frame, struggling to keep his emotions in check as he potted the title-clinching balls.
Milkins now makes the trip to Wolverhampton for next week's Players Championships as the number four seed, with only Mark Allen, Ryan Day and Kyren Wilson above him in the one-year ranking list.
