Mark Williams was left delighted as he came from 9-5 down to beat David Gilbert 10-9 in the World Open final on Sunday.

Reigning world champion Williams had looked dead and buried with his English opponent needing just one more frame to wrap up the title in Yushan, but he dug deep into his reserves and rattled off five frames in a row to record his first tournament success since his victory at the Crucible in May.

Williams has proved himself something of a comeback specialist in China this week, as he came from 3-0 down to beat Jack Lisowski in the quarter-finals and from 5-2 behind to see off Noppon Saengkham in the last four.

The 43-year-old was certainly pleased with the resilience he showed throughout the tournament, although he did concede he thought his chances had disappeared when Gilbert established a four-frame lead in the final.

“At 9-5 down I was almost out,” Williams was quoted as saying on the World Snooker website.

“To win three matches I have looked like losing is unbelievable.

“I never give up or let my head drop, no matter what the score is. I never let my opponent see that I’m losing heart, and then sometimes it does turn around. Whatever is going on, you have to stick in there.”

Williams, who is priced at 13.00 to defend his World Championship crown later in the season, did concede he had sympathy for Gilbert after the match, particularly as the 37-year-old had been chasing his maiden triumph in a ranking event.

“I feel for David, he didn’t have that many clear cut chances,” Williams added. “I played really well from 9-5 and put him under pressure. I won it more than he lost it.”