Late replacement Stephen Maguire beat Mark Allen 10-6 to win the Snooker Tour Championship on Friday.

The 39-year-old Scot ended his seven-year ranking title drought by beating Allen in the final with the highest break of 139 in the ninth frame.

"To win this tournament, with the best players in the world, over a longer format is unreal. It is amazing that I am the last man standing," Maguire said.

The competition, which features the top eight players on the one-year ranking list, is the first ranking tournament since the snooker season was suspended in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Maguire is ninth-placed in the one-year ranking list but got the chance to compete in the tournament after fifth-placed Ding Junhui withdrew, as China's top player tried to avoid extensive travel from China to the U.K. amid the pandemic.

Maguire ousted world No. 1, Judd Trump, in the semifinals after beating Australian ace Neil Robertson in the first round.

"If I'm not confident going into any tournament after that, then there is something wrong with me. I'll go back, take a few days off and look forward to practicing for Sheffield," he added. 

This year's Snooker World Championships has been postponed to July 31 to August 16 at the Crucible Theater, Sheffield.

As the defending champion, top seed Trump will be in the same section with Maguire, Kyren Wilson and China's Yan Bingtao.

Meanwhile, sixth seed Ronnie O'Sullivan has Ding Junhui, Mark Williams and Stuart Bingham for the company in his mini bracket.

Marco Fu from China's Hong Kong, twice a semi-finalist and a former constant force among the top 16 in snooker, has already announced that he will not enter this year's edition.

(With input from Xinhua)