Mark Selby produced one of the finest comebacks the illustrious Masters final has ever seen with a shock 10-9 victory against world No. 1 Ronnie O’Sullivan.

The Rocket had taken a 9-6 lead, late into the evening session; but was incredibly pegged back by his opponent, who capitalised on the usually nerveless O’Sullivan’s errors to lift the coveted non-rankings trophy.

The 26-year-old won the last four frames in spectacular fashion as the crowd packed inside Wembley Arena were treated to a classic final.

It meant Selby had gained revenge for last year’s final defeat against the same opponent, while adding to his 2008 Masters title in the process.

Few would have bet against the 34-year-old O’Sullivan from claiming his fifth title going into the 16th frame. Looking comfortable and displaying his customary brand of mesmeric shots, the Rocket looked for the all the world to be cruising to yet another title.

However, the Jester from Leicester never gave up the fight, and with the score at 9-8 there was one particular shot which perhaps cost O’Sullivan the match. When it would have been far less dangerous to play a safety shot off a loose green towards the end of the 18th frame, he decided to take it on with his left-hand, looking to put enough cut on to sink what would have been the pot of the tournament.

But it proved too tricky, and the ball ricocheted off the pocket to allow Selby to clear up and take the match to a decider.

Despite the clock rapidly approaching midnight, the crowd inside the arena were more vocal than ever before, but were now supporting the underdog, who by this point had captured the audiences’ imagination with his thrilling comeback.

Selby described it as “like playing in the lion’s den” with “90 per cent of the fans supporting Ronnie” at the start of the match, but it was his own lion-heart performance which prompted shouts of “come on Mark!” from the stalls as Monday morning approached.

His entrance song, Underdog by Kasabian, had proven a very apt choice, and in the deciding frame the underdog had triumphed, spectacularly potting a difficult long red before adding runs of 27 and 37.

O’Sullivan must have known he was a beaten man at this point – he certainly had the look of one. His shots became increasingly – and very unusually – lax, and when he missed a red to the centre, the 34-year-old shook the hand of Selby to concede the match.

Delight for the world No. 7 ensued, as did a huge cheque for £150,000.

“At 9-6 down I thought my chance was gone and I expected Ronnie to win,” a delighted Selby admitted.

“I looked dead and buried, but I knew it wasn’t over until the last ball was potted. Then when it got to 9-9 I felt I was more confident than him. I just wanted one chance – in the end I got more than that and I did enough. I’m pinching myself because it’s hard to believe. “

Meanwhile, O’Sullivan was gracious in defeat and felt he was beaten by the better player on the night, but admitted that he still faces an ongoing struggle to overcome psychological barriers.

“I have to look at the big picture and I surprised myself by getting to the final this week,” O’Sullivan said.

“I didn’t play well enough to win so I can’t be disappointed. I will keep pitching up to tournaments and trying to compete.

“I’m always out to win, but the battle is with myself. I’m trying not to have too many highs and lows. For 17 years I’ve been playing like a plum, and being hot and cold made me depressed. I can’t do that to myself any more. I felt it today and I said to myself ‘don’t go there’. The frustration is that if I got it right I would smash all these players up, I’d demolish them.”

The runner-up prize of £75,000 provided little solace for the beaten finalist, who had wasted a golden opportunity to catch up with Stephen Hendry’s record of six Masters titles.

But at 26, Selby continues to improve and clearly has a fondness for this prestigious tournament. The newly crowned Masters champion will be back next year to defend his title – as he unsuccessfully attempted last year – with a few more fans following last night’s absorbing comeback.

Rob Swan