A day after taking out Ronnie O'Sullivan, Chang Bingyu added the scalp of Zhao Xintong to win his first ranking title at the Wuhan Open.
Chang had seen a 7-4 lead erased by a rallying Zhao but held firm to rattle off three frames in a row to haul himself over the line.
If the final frame is the hardest to win then never was that truer than in this match, as Chang first found the snooker he needed and then cleared from a seemingly impossible position to finally end an absorbing contest.
He becomes the 10th ranking tournament winner from mainland China and while Zhao's consolation is to move to the top of the world rankings, his compatriot climbs to a career-high of 22nd.
Such has been the impression made by Chang this season, that some bookmakers quote as short as 8/1 for the World Championship next spring, for which Zhao remains favourite.
Revised odds ranging from 8/1 to double that price make Chang one of the top eight in the market and the same is true of the UK Championship in the more immediate future, for which he's generally 14/1.
"I’d been very tense throughout the match, so I wanted to let myself go a little bit. In the last frame I just thought I had to go for the double on the blue. Fortunately it went in, and I was able to clear up," Chang told WST.
"Last year I was really disappointed to lose the final in Scotland. After losing that final, I wanted the title so badly. From then on, I kept telling myself every day that if I reached another final, I had to take the opportunity.
"Before the match, I honestly didn’t think I could beat him. He is the new world number one after all, so I just wanted to learn from him. I’ve watched a lot of his matches over the past few years and learned a great deal from him. So I went into the final with the same attitude of learning.
"I’m really grateful to my parents. They’ve really sacrificed a lot for me. When I was very young, my dad sold our house and quit his job so that he could accompany me to practise in Guangdong. He also accompanied me when I went to England. Over the last couple of years my mum has been with me every day, looking after my day-to-day life. I’m really thankful to them."
Runner-up Zhao said: "Although I’m a little disappointed with the result today, I think for me personally it’s just one match. I can’t be in finals forever or win every time. Of course, I didn’t play particularly well today, so I think it was quite normal that Chang was able to win the match.
"His game, and that of many of the younger Chinese players, has already reached a very high level."