Jack Lisowski is a ranking winner at last having beaten Judd Trump 9-8 in a thrilling Northern Ireland Open final.
Widely recognised as the most talented player in the game without a ranking win to his name, Lisowski had been unfortunate to run into a cast of world champions in six previous final defeats spanning seven years.
Neil Robertson and Mark Selby denied him on the first three occasions, then his close friend Trump won their three meetings across the Covid-affected 2020 and 2021 seasons.
Again faced with Trump for this seventh attempt to end the hoodoo, Lisowski had to fight all the way having only led the match after the first and 15th frames, Trump persistently edging ahead otherwise.
That included a fine break from Trump to win frame 13 and move 7-6 in front in a race to nine and having levelled at 7-7, Lisowski appeared to have made a vital positional mistake when set to move within one.
But a friendly glance when playing safe left Trump snookered and when the world number one could only move the final red over the pocket, Lisowski potted from range. With just one frame left to win, never before had he been anything like this close.
Trump though is as tough as he is talented and two visits were enough to dominate the next to send the match into a decider he was 8/11 to win with the layers, thus dealing out the toughest heartache of Lisowski's career so far.
Lisowski then deserves credit for capitalising on the sort of fortune this quest was always likely to require, as Trump twice ran long on a key positional shot which could've led to a frame, match and title-winning contribution.
More remarkably, twice Lisowski missed nervously, pots which would have been regulation under normal circumstances, and twice Trump came to the table faced with similar chances only to rattle the jaws.
It was a dizzying few minutes of missed chances for both players but it ended with Lisowski back at the table, surely feeling the sense of now-or-never which commentator Neal Foulds articulated on TNT Sports.
Thankfully for Lisowski and his growing army of fans, it was, at last, now.
"I feel like I'm going to pass out," said Lisowski, who had been given time to compose himself after an emotional victory. "I've never felt like this in my life, I feel like I'm dreaming.
"I've thought about this moment since I was six or seven years old.
"I just want to say to Judd, he's been my best friend since we were 14. He was there with me in a restaurant in Hong Kong when I got the message about my dad (who passed away in March).
"He's one of the greatest snooker players of all time already, but he's been the best friend I could ever have wished for."
Addressing Trump, he added: "You're the closest thing I'm ever going to have to a brother, and I love you."
'I'm glad to be a friend'
"I'm so pleased for Jack," said Trump, playing in his 50th ranking final. "I'm probably a lot happier than if I'd have won, to be honest. Jack fully deserved the win, and there's no person happier for him than me.
"I said it to him, it's so nice that he can just shut everyone up. No one can say that again. He's got an amazing family and friends around him, they've been so supportive. I'm glad to be a friend.
"He looked a lot more composed and I hope now this is the start of a real rivalry. I hope he can get back near the top of the rankings where he deserves to be."