JUDD Trump won the battle of snooker’s great entertainers as he beat Ronnie O’Sullivan 6-2 to progress to the semi-finals of the BGC Masters at London’s Alexandra Palace.
The match got off to a nervy start, with both players missing opportunities to break-build, but Trump took his chance when O’Sullivan failed to pot an easy black off its spot, and punished him with a break of 39 to clinch the opening frame.
O’Sullivan found himself snookered from the break-off in frame two, and missed the pack, allowing Trump in to clinch the frame with a 66.
The 22-year-old from Bristol was now in his element and seemed at ease with his surroundings and the magnitude of the occasion, and quickly made it 3-0 before making a 140 in frame four, which was, for a brief period, the highest break of the tournament.
O’Sullivan finally got one under his belt with a 67 in frame five, to ensure his record of never having been whitewashed at the Masters remained intact, however, Trump showed signs of maturity in the next as he edged out his opponent in a tactical battle to restore his four-frame advantage at 5-1.
With the vociferous London crowd on his side, O’Sullivan made a 141 to eclipse Trump’s earlier efforts to take the highest break prize, but his fightback ended when he broke down on 54 in the next, allowing Trump to complete his victory with a break of 65.
After the match, Trump made no secret of his confident mood. He said: “I came into the tournament full of confidence thinking I can win it and all the other players want to beat me.
“I didn’t miss many balls [although] I got a little impatient towards the end to try and get over the winning line, but Ronnie had the crowd on his side.
“He has done what few in the game have done and I look up to him.”
Meanwhile, O’Sullivan paid tribute to his opponent’s standard of play. He said: “Judd scored heavily and played a fantastic match. He put in some good breaks under pressure.
“All you can do is sit there and hope for your chance but it’s difficult to stop someone with so much confidence.
“I couldn’t give any more out there and he played better on the day.”
Trump will now face the winner of Friday’s clash between Neil Robertson and Mark Williams.