Fresh off Sunday night’s victory in the English Open final, Judd Trump came through two matches to book his place in the last 16 of the Wuhan Open on Wednesday.
Trump claimed the 24th ranking title of his career at the weekend, after battling from 7-3 down to beat Zhang Anda 9-7 to claim the Steve Davis Trophy. The Ace in the Pack landed in China less than 24 hours before being thrust into action against close friend Oliver Lines this morning, where he made two centuries on the way to a 5-2 victory.
That wasn’t the end of Trump’s day, as he had to take the the baize again this evening to make up for missing Monday and Tuesday’s action, facing off against world number 29 Matthew Selt. There were no signs of jet lag, with Trump firing in breaks of 59, 61, 58 and 52 on his way to a 5-0 victory. Next up he faces a repeat of the recent European Masters final, which he lost to Barry Hawkins.
“I didn’t sleep great last night, but it helps when you’ve just won an event and you are excited to play with a little bit more confidence. I felt like I played pretty well considering the travel,” said 2019 World Champion Trump.
“Barry is a tough player. He is playing really well so far this season and someone you have to do well against. Hopefully I can get a good night’s sleep and play well tomorrow.
“It is nice to be back travelling again. I’ve not had too much time to look around but the crowds have been fantastic and there is great support here. It is good to see the fans turning up to watch us play. It is always nice to play in front of a full crowd, it spurs you on.”
World number one Ronnie O’Sullivan came from 4-3 down to defeat young Chinese star Pang Junxu 5-4 and earn his place in the last 16.
The Rocket remains locked in a battle to stay at the top of the world rankings this week, with Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen in pursuit. However, O’Sullivan knows that Allen must win the event to stand any chance of usurping him.
The penultimate frame saw O’Sullivan fortuitously leave Pang angled in the yellow pocket. With no obvious way to escape and leave the balls safe Pang afforded O’Sullivan a chance, which he pounced upon with a run of 117 to force the decider. A break of 64 helped the seven-time World Champion take the final frame and set up a meeting with Yuan Sijun.
O’Sullivan said: “Pang is a really good player. He is a good match player, with a good temperament, hungry and a tough opponent. He has the desire to want to do well. That is always hard to play against. I just think Chinese snooker is getting stronger and stronger. There are so many good Chinese players. It was a tough game.”
Jack Lisowski earned his progression thanks to a narrow 5-4 win over Sam Craigie, his now faces a mouth watering clash with Allen, who edged through after a 5-4 victory against Si Jiahui.
Ali Carter battled from 4-1 down to defeat fellow Essex cueman Stuart Bingham 5-4. The Captain crafted breaks of 81, 53 and 79 on his way to four consecutive frames to turn the match on its head. He now plays Liam Highfield, who scored an impressive 5-3 win over Zhou Yuelong to follow up a defeat of Neil Robertson in the previous round.
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