Neil Robertson became the first man to pick up the Masters title at the Alexandra Palace after beating Shaun Murphy 10-6 in the final.

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The Australian picked up the prestigious £150,000 title for the first time in his career with an outstanding all-round performance against a plucky Murphy in Sunday's showpiece final.

His route to the final included wins over Mark Allen, Mark Williams and Judd Trump and the determined Aussie proudly held onto his 100% record in major finals by seeing off the Magician in front of a packed Ally Pally crowd.

The final began in cagey fashion with the pair trading the first two frames. Murphy then brought life into the game with a century break to edge in front at 2-1.

Robertson, also a former world champion, hit back in superb style with a century of his own to level it up at 2-2 going into the mid-session interval.

The duo were level again after six frames, but this marked a turning point as the Aussie began to turn up the heat, pulling away to win six of the next seven frames to go one away at 9-4.

Manchester ace Murphy rallied round with two quick-fire frames to make it 9-6, but inevitably it was Robertson who sealed victory in the next to become the fourth overseas player to win snooker's most prestigious invitation event, after South Africa's Perrie Mans, Canada's Cliff Thorburn and China's Ding Junhui.

"If it had got to 9-8 it would have been tough," said a humble Robertson. "One thing the crowd really love here is a comeback or an underdog and they really cheer them on. I knew I had to be patient and hope he would leave me a shot. The two frames he won I didn't even really get a shot so I knew he could do that. I was just looking for one good chance, and thankfully it came in that last frame"

"When I first came on the scene I was very attacking. I had no clue about tactics and it's a big thanks to Joe Perry and Mark King who I've been practicing with over the years, and it's led to this moment."
 
"The run of winning major finals won't last forever. Obviously I'm confident going into finals because I have a great record. I always fancy my chances," he added.

The 29-year-old demonstrated superb ability to mix long potting and break-building with tactical awareness and flawless shot selection throughout the week. His calmness on the baize also led Murphy to suggest afterwards that Robertson has eclipsed John Higgins as snooker's most complete player.

Murphy was aiming to become only the eighth player in the history of snooker to win the World, UK and Masters titles. But after playing superbly in the Semi-Finals, he failed to reproduce that standard and was forced to settle for the £75,000 second prize.
 
He said: "My real attacking power has come back and it gives me a good chance to build on this going forward for the rest of the season. It's too early to look at the World Championship just yet, we've got a lot of snooker to go between now and Sheffield, but I've been able to play very well in a major championship.

"The crowd really got behind me and helped me along. There were times when I could have let my head drop but the crowd were supportive. They have been amazing to me all week, its been fantastic and I look forward to coming back next year," added Murphy.

Robertson has been shortened to 8/1 to win the World Championship in May, with Murphy a 12/1 chance for his second world title with Ladbrokes.

The snooker tour now returns to focus on the Championship League, the exclusive internet streamed event which resumes with Group Three on Monday, with Neil Robertson and Stephen Hendry among the stars in action.

BGC Masters Final 2012

Neil Robertson 10-6 Shaun Murphy