STUART Bingham admits he is more confident about challenging at major tournaments after a fresh approach to snooker resulted in his second ranking title this year.

The 38-year-old from Basildon defeated Mark Allen 10-3 to triumph at the Shanghai Masters last month and claim his first major victory since the 2011 Australian Open.

Although Bingham has joined a list of illustrious names with two ranking titles, including Graeme Dott, Dennis Taylor and Cliff Thorburn, the Basildon potter insists he is eager not to settle for their company.

After a dissapointing early exit at the Bulgaria Open last week, Bingham is now preparing to fly back to China for the International Championship on October 26.

And the world number ten player believes a family tragedy this year has given him a new perspective on the game.

“Some very good names have ended their careers with two ranking events but winning one tournament was my target for the year and now I’ve won one so early I’ll aim to win another,” said Bingham.

“My aim is to win tournaments I have done well in before. The UK Championship is great – the longer format suits my game and I’ve done well there, beating Ronnie O’Sullivan a couple of times.

“It was heartache to lose in the semi-final to Neil Robertson last year so I’ll hope to go one better and it would be nice to win a match in the Masters for the first time.

“I’ve had some bad times off the table as my father-in-law passed away in March and it has been tough on the family but it’s given me a relaxed attitude that helps me. I’m still obsessed with snooker but I know it’s just a game and I’m lucky to be playing well at the moment so have got to make the best of it.”

A settled family life was at the root of Bingham’s feat in Shanghai as he revealed he has buried the hatchet with Allen after their long-standing feud.

The Northern Irish potter accused Bingham of having “no bottle, no balls” after losing to his rival Down Under in 2011 but Bingham insists their most recent meeting was played with mutual respect.

And the pair could well face each other for International Championship honours this month, with stellar names including Mark Selby and Ding Junhui failing to qualify for the tournament.

“It was Mark’s third final on the trot and we’ve had our differences in the past but he’s a good lad and we’ve put that behind us,” added Bingham.

“We had a bit of a disagreement for a year but the final was played in a good spirit as both of us are married now so we’ve grown up and respect each other.

“Mark and Ding are not in my quarter but them not qualifying does perhaps give me a good chance to win it and you never know.

“I’ve always travelled well and will play on the Asian tour beforehand but just to win one or two in a season is a great achievement with the standard there is now.”

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