Stuart Bingham beats Mark Williams 9-8 to win Australian Open

Bingham beat Ronnie O'Sullivan in the opening round of the UK Championships in December

England's Stuart Bingham won the last four frames of the Australian Open final to snatch a dramatic 9-8 win over two-time world champion Mark Williams.

Bingham began the final session level at 4-4, but twice found himself three frames adrift at 4-7 and then 5-8.

Breaks of 70 and 76 pulled the 35-year-old from Essex back level with the match to be decided on the 17th.

Bingham finally pulled clear after a cagey exchange of safety shots to claim his first ranking event title.

His victory came after a superb start which featured a break of 139 in the opening frame en route to a 3-1 lead.

Williams responded by taking the next three with breaks of 85, 57 and 84.

Bingham edged the eighth 64-52 to pull himself back, but seemed to have run out of steam after the interval.

Williams looked to have the upper hand as he followed up a half-century break in the ninth by capitalising on a series of errors by Bingham in the 10th and building a frame-winning break of 71 in the 11th.

But Bingham clawed his way to the title with a tremendous rearguard action.

After pouncing on an error by Williams in the 12th and making the most of a fortunate snooker in the 14th, Bingham compiled a break of 70 to reduce the deficit to a single frame.

Another big break restored parity and, after a cruel deflection appeared to deprive Bingham within sight of the line, he finally sank a green to seal victory.