Ronnie O'Sullivan was on top of the world yesterday in Brighton after capturing snooker's first major title of the season with a memorable comeback win over world No.1 Mark Williams.

O'Sullivan lifted the Champions Cup and pocketed a £100,000 prize after beating world champion Williams 7-5.

"The Rocket" received a standing ovation from the Brighton Centre crowd after recovering from 4-1 down to clinch a 7-5 victory.

O'Sullivan, who also picked up a £5,000 high break prize for his 140 against Jimmy White in the group stages, punched the air with delight and dedicated victory to the people he loves.

He said: "I've been on a treadmill of turmoil which has been a nightmare for my family and friends. This win is for the people that have stuck with me through all my problems."

The 24-year-old, who spent time in the Priory clinic with depression during the summer, said the Champions Cup success marks the end of his troubles and the dawn of a new-found freedom.

"That's all done and dusted now," he said. "I'm enjoying my life more. Snooker is not the be-all and end-all. If winning competitions requires ruining my life, I don't want to know.

"This week in Brighton has been fantastic for me. I'm feeling a bit drained, having played six of the best players in the world, but my preparations have been more relaxed. I've not been on the table every spare moment between matches. Now I just want to chill out and go on holiday for a couple of weeks."

O'Sullivan didn't pot a ball in the opening two frames as Williams showed his world champion qualities with breaks of 67 and 77. The Rocket rallied with a 66 break to clear up and take the third.

Williams, suffering stomach pains, left the arena for ten minutes .

He returned to take the next two frames 68-36 and 78-45 before the Rocket exploded into life by claiming four frames on the trot.

The world champion managed to pull back to 5-5, but O'Sullivan was too strong and breaks of 77 and 91 clinched the next two frames and the championship.

Williams, who pocketed £35,000 for runner-up, conceded: "Ronnie was unbeatable in the end. He was playing great snooker. I hardly slept on Saturday night because I was so ill. I knew I had to get to the loo pretty quickly at the interval.

"I'm not making excuses. I just lost to the better player. I'm disappointed not to have won but this week has been a good stepping stone for the rest of the season."

O'Sullivan won all three of his group matches before outclassing seven-times Embassy World Champion Stephen Hendry 5-2 in Saturday's semi-final.

The competition attracted sell-out crowds on four of the eight days and media relations director Bruce Beckett confirmed the World Snooker Association has provisionally booked the Brighton Centre for next season's event.

He said: "We've been pleased with the interest this tournament has received in Brighton. The venue is excellent and crowds have been very good. Nothing has been confirmed yet, but there's a strong feeling among the organisers that we'll be back here next year."