Paul Hunter 6-4 Stephen Hendry

England's Paul Hunter reached the final of the Benson and Hedges Masters with a superb display to beat six-time champion Stephen Hendry at Wembley on Saturday.

The 22-year-old from Leeds recorded his first ever victory over Hendry as yet another top seed fell by the wayside.

Both players contributed to a high-scoring semi-final with Hunter notching a century in the fourth frame.

Back-to-back breaks of 60 and 65 put Hunter within sight of the winning line and he sealed the match with the help of a fluked green in the 10th frame.

He has guaranteed himself at least £88,000 and will now start as favourite when he faces either Dave Harold or Fergal O'Brien in Sunday's best-of-19 frame final.

"I've beaten the defending champion already - and someone who's won here six times before - so of course I think I can win," the world number 14 said.

Good fortune

"I thought I would be a lot more nervous than I was towards the end.

"In fact, I was quite relaxed. I cued well right from the start, and a few big breaks let Stephen know that I was feeling confident.

"It's a fantastic result for me, and now I can't wait for tomorrow."

Hunter, who edged out title-holder Matthew Stevens 6-5 in the last 16, and then got the better of Peter Ebdon, was the first to admit fortune had helped him to beat Hendry.

Leading 5-4 and with frame 10 in the balance, Hunter fluked the green to a middle pocket at an acute angle and somehow managed to obtain position on the brown.

He potted that conventionally before slotting in the blue and pink to clear up and deny Hendry the chance to lift Masters trophy for the seventh time.

Hendry disappointment

But Hendry refused to blame bad luck for his defeat.

"Losing to a green like that wasn't nice, but the fact of the matter is that I missed far too many pots from distance," he said.

"Paul was the better of the two players today, but if I'd potted a quarter of the long balls I should have I'd have won."

"It's disappointing to lose any match anywhere and this is no exception. I hate losing and I always will."

Hunter compiled breaks of 101 and 99 on the way to building a 4-3 lead.

From 4-4 he put together controlled runs of 60 and 65 to regain the advantage and then surged home with the help of the outrageous fluke on the green.