BARRY HAWKINS claimed his third major ranking title of his career after beating Ryan Day to win the World Grand Prix.

Barry Hawkins. Picture by Monique Limbos

The 37-year-old was in impressive form throughout and looked set for a rather comfortable victory until he was made to wait due to a wonderful fightback from Ryan Day.

The 10-7 win earned Hawkins – a former World Championship finalist – the £100,000 winning prize and is now back into the world’s top eight.

Hawkins made five centuries in what was a wonderful display of attacking snooker and appeared to have the game won rather comfortably when he led 9-3 early in the evening session.

But Day, playing in his first major ranking final in nine years, then produced a sterling comeback winning four frames on the bounce to give what seemed a one-sided final a dramatic and tense finish.

But when Day messed up a swerve shot when trying to get out of a snooker on the last red in frame 17, Hawkins then cleared the table to finally get over the winning line. much to his relief.

Victory would have been sweet for Hawkins after he lost this season’s Northern Ireland Open final back in November via a final frame decider against Mark King.

Hawkins and Day will hope to continue there good form next week in the Welsh Open, which starts on Monday.

Five times World Championship winner Ronnie O’Sullivan is the defending champion after beating Neil Robertson 9-5 last year.