5th December, Hong Kong: Mitch Hupe of Canada, defied all odds by defeating Kyle Troup of USA, 2-0 in the finals to win the coveted Masters gold medal at the concluding 2018 CGSE • Million Tinkle World Men Championships.

Trios gold medallist, Troup took an early lead after marking his first two frames followed by two consecutive strikes in frames 3 and 4 while Hupe was contented with converting all his spares and managing just a strike in the fourth frame.

An opened frame from the American in the sixth frame allowed the Canadian to draw level. Both were unable to string together any connecting strikes and eventually ended in a 192 tie. Kyle rolled nine pins while Hupe struck to clinch the first match.

The win gave Hupe the much needed momentum starting off with three strikes-in-a-row for an early lead. Troup responded with a double in the third and fourth frames but again was unlucky to stumble to a 4-10 split which he failed to take one pin in an attempt to spare it.

Hupe successfully help Canada retain the Masters title his compatriot, Francois Lavoie won at the 2017 World Championships in Las Vegas. His victory also gave Canada their first gold medal of the championships after making the medal rounds in four events and failing to win the elusive gold.

The champion advanced to the title match after dispatching team-mate and winner of a silver and three bronze medals, Dan MacLelland, 2-0 in the first all-Canadian semi-finals. Troup defeated Ireland's Christopher Sloan, 2-0 in the other all-two-hander semi to face Hupe.

MacLelland picked up his fourth bronze medal while Sloan became the first-ever Irish to win a medal at the World Championships. In the earlier Round 3 finals, Hupe edged Andrew Anderson of USA, 2-1 to advance to the semi-finals.

MacLelland had to work hard to beat Trios silver medallist, Hardy Rachmadian of Indonesia, 2-1. Troup dispatched Mattias Wetterberg of Sweden, 2-0 while Sloan denied any Asian presence in the semi-finals when he beat Koo Seonghoi of Korea, 2-1.