The Thai star, famed for his lightning pace around the table, conjured three consecutive centuries in the final three frames, including an unbelievable 147 maximum break that sent the crowd into raptures in Yushan, China, reports the Bangkok Post.
It was the kind of snooker feast for the ages that fans dream of but rarely witness - a player in full flow, against the sport’s greatest champion, delivering perfection when it mattered most.
For Thepchaiya, now 40, this was more than just a victory. It was his second ranking crown, but by far the most significant. His first came at the Shoot Out in 2019, a format tailor-made for his quickfire style.
This triumph, however, was on the grand stage of a full-length ranking event, making him only the second Thai player to achieve such a feat after James Wattana’s trailblazing win in 1995 at the Thailand Open.
The rewards were immediate: a career-best payday of £175,000 (B7.6 million), a leap up the world rankings from 39th to 22nd, and a coveted place in the Tour Championship in Manchester.
However, the numbers tell only part of the story.
What mattered most was the manner of victory - against O’Sullivan, the seven-time world champion, in a final that swung wildly before Thepchaiya seized control with a spellbinding burst.
Earlier in the day, O’Sullivan had looked imperious, rattling in three centuries of his own to turn a 6-4 deficit into a 7-6 lead at the mid-session interval.
At that point, many assumed the Rocket would blast his way to yet another title. But Thepchaiya refused to wilt. He regrouped, calmed his nerves in the practice room, and returned with renewed belief. What followed was scarcely believable: a 77 clearance, a majestic 132, and then the maximum 147 that electrified the arena.
“I can’t believe it,” Thepchaiya admitted afterwards. “I’m still stunned by my performance. How did I do that? Sometimes snooker is one-way traffic. To make a 147 in a final against Ronnie O’Sullivan - it is a great honour.
“This was my dream final, and now it feels like a double dream. I will never forget this moment.
“Sometimes snooker is one-way traffic, but tonight it was about enjoying the game and managing my emotions. I want to bring snooker back to the heights it once had in Thailand. This is a step forward, and I hope it inspires the next generation.”
O’Sullivan, gracious in defeat, acknowledged the scale of the achievement.
“It has been a positive week, but I have to say Thepchaiya was unbelievable,” said O’Sullivan. “He deserved his victory. He played much better than me today. I watched his semi-final and he was strong. I couldn’t go with that. It was far too good for me.
“Thepchaiya was flowing and had every shot in the book. I have to accept that is how it is. If I found that bit extra I could have made it tougher for him.”
The Rocket still had his own highlight of the week - a record-breaking 153 break in the quarter-finals, the highest ever compiled in professional snooker.
His maximum was the seventh of his career, the 240th in professional history, and part of a season already rewriting the record books with an unprecedented tally of 147s. To cap it all, he closed the match with a flawless 131 clearance, underlining his dominance and ensuring the title was his.