Ali Carter picked up the German Masters title in style in Berlin (Picture: Getty Images)
Ali Carter won a fifth ranking title at the German Masters on Sunday, thrashing Tom Ford 10-3 in the final, almost seven years after he last lifted a trophy.
Ford won the first two frames of the match, making a superb century in the very first, but Carter was unfazed and claimed 10 of the next 11, including six on the trot in the afternoon session.
The Captain made one century of his own, along with eight half-centuries in a fine performance, although Ford’s display certainly did slip away after the first couple of frames.
The 43-year-old champion last won a ranking title at the 2016 World Open and admitted that part of him thought his glory days were behind him, but he has ended his silverware drought in some style.
‘When you play the game as long as I have you kind of think it won’t happen again, but you have to keep believing,’ said Carter, who first turned professional back in 1996.
‘I’m really proud of the way I played today. I put Tom under a lot of pressure, it was a massive occasion for both of us, Tom was looking for his first trophy and I had that in the back of my mind.
‘I’ve got a great team behind me now, they know who they are, I want to say thank you and I’m delighted to be in the winners’ circle again.
‘Tom started off really well, I was 2-0 down, still felt good and hadn’t done anything wrong. I got going in the middle, won six frames on the spin.
‘It’s so pleasing to play some of your best stuff when you’re under the cosh and I’m really proud of myself.’
The victory came in the stunning setting of the Tempodrom in Berlin, with a packed house of over 2,000 fans in a country which has fallen in love with snooker and the players love to play in.
‘There’s no better tournament than this, this is right up there with the Masters and the World Championship,’ said Carter.
‘The German fans are magnificent, they’re such polite people and appreciate us being here.
‘A lot of the top 16 didn’t qualify for this event, which can be disappointing, but I think we showed that we can still put on a good show.’
Carter also paid tribute to coach Chris Henry who has played a big part in his return to form in recent months.
‘He’s massive, he’s transformed me, he’s a great person to be around, he’s become a friend,’ he said. ‘We’re doing some really good stuff together, he’s given me so much confidence in my technique.’
Only four of the world’s top 16 played in the last 32 of the event in Berlin, which afforded an opportunity to players such as Carter, which he gratefully accepted.
The Captain is back into the world’s top 16 thanks to the £80,000 top prize, while he also climbs to number four on the one-year list, which books his spot in the Players Championship and almost certainly the Tour Championship later this season.
Ford is up to number 10 on the one-year list, so he will be set for the Players Championship which features the top 16 on those rankings, but will need some good results to make the Tour Championship which is for the top eight.
MORE : Jack Lisowski: ‘Snooker is a beautiful sport, we can make it bigger’
MORE : Wonderkid Stan Moody books place on World Snooker Tour with WSF Junior Championship win
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
‘It’s so pleasing to play some of your best stuff when you’re under the cosh.’
