Paul Hunter is being remembered by the WPBSA 20 years after his death, with his three Masters titles and repeated comebacks still defining a career that ended when he was 27. The WPBSA tribute revisits victories in 2001, 2002 and 2004, all by 10-9 scorelines, while several contemporaries have described a player whose calmness in pressure situations and appeal beyond the table left a lasting mark on snooker.
Hunter’s Masters record offers a clear explanation for that standing. According to the WPBSA, every one of his three final wins finished 10-9. He also had to overturn substantial deficits in each: 7-3 down to Fergal O’Brien in 2001, 5-1 behind Mark Williams in 2002 and 6-1 adrift against Ronnie O’Sullivan in 2004.
Those positions meant Hunter was a combined 13 frames behind across the three finals before completing the recoveries. That does not measure the different match situations in full, but it underlines why the WPBSA presents his Masters performances as evidence of his ability under pressure.
Three Masters wins finished 10-9
Hunter’s first Masters title came in 2001, when he beat O’Brien 10-9 after trailing by four frames. The WPBSA reported that he had not previously won a match in the event before that run. On the way to the title he defeated Matthew Stevens, his close friend on the circuit.
Stevens said in the WPBSA tribute that Hunter’s death remained particularly painful because of how young he was, both as a player and a person. He recalled their time travelling on the tour together and said Hunter’s victories in the Masters were characteristic of a competitor who was not unsettled by difficult positions. Stevens also noted that the trophy for the tournament is named after Hunter, describing that recognition as fitting.
In the 2002 final, Hunter again recovered from four frames down to beat Williams 10-9. His route also included a 6-5 win over Alan McManus, the 1994 Masters champion. McManus told the WPBSA that Hunter appeared uncomplicated as a player, always seeming to enjoy competing, and that opponents found it difficult to put him under pressure.
The third title, in 2004, involved Hunter’s largest final deficit. He fought back from 6-1 down against O’Sullivan to prevail 10-9. John Higgins, who faced Hunter in that year’s semi-finals, said Hunter reached an audience wider than typical snooker followers. Higgins’s recollection supports the WPBSA’s portrayal of Hunter as a player whose significance involved both his results and his public presence.
Why the comebacks remain the key evidence
The 10-9 scoreline is important because all three of Hunter’s Masters finals finished by that margin. The separate deficits add further context: he was required to recover by four, four and five frames respectively before winning each title.
O’Brien, who lost the 2001 final, told the WPBSA that Hunter’s refusal to give up was central to his character. He recalled the atmosphere around the deciding black in their final and said that, despite his own disappointment at losing such a major match, he later looked back warmly on sharing that occasion with Hunter.
McManus said Hunter’s relaxed-looking approach was unusual and suggested it helped him on snooker’s biggest stages. He also reflected that Hunter’s three Masters victories at such a young age had already secured his place in the game’s story, while making clear that any assessment of what else he might have achieved can only remain hypothetical.
That distinction matters. The verified record is not based on imagined future honours, but on three Masters titles won after substantial recoveries. Twenty years on, the repeated pattern is unusually clear: three finals, three 10-9 wins and three recoveries from significant deficits.
The WPBSA’s remembrance therefore places Hunter’s legacy in concrete terms. His Masters record explains the competitive esteem expressed by former opponents, while their memories of his personality explain why the anniversary continues to resonate beyond a list of trophies and scorelines.