In 2001, Hunter wowed Wembley for the first time when he came back from 7-3 down to beat Fergal O'Brien 10-9 and win the Masters title.

The following year, Hunter came back from 5-0 down to defeat Mark Williams by the same scoreline.

It was a good year for Hunter who also won his second Regal Welsh title with victory over Ken Doherty before adding the British Open with victory at the expense of Ian McCulloch.

In 2003, Hunter came close to booking a spot in the Crucible final, but after going 15-9 ahead in his semi-final against Ken Doherty, the Leeds player eventually went down 17-16.