Judd Comes Up Trumps in Chengdu

New world number one Judd Trump beat Neil Robertson in a thrilling final to win the inaugural International Championship in Chengdu, China.

Australian Robertson led 5-4 at the interval and looked to be in control when he extended his advantage to 8-6.

But breaks of 96 and 119 helped Trump turn the contest around and the 23-year-old from Bristol took his third ranking title with a 10-8 victory.

"I felt good in the last four frames and played good snooker," said Trump.

Top Trump

By climbing to the top of the world rankings, Judd Trump has become only the 10th player to hold the number one spot. His win at the International Championship is his third ranking title after the China Open and UK Championship in 2011.

"It has been a great week," he told World Snooker's official website. "I dominated a lot of matches during the tournament, then in the final I felt the same but missed a few balls and that's why it was so close.

"I have got used to dealing with the time difference when I come to China now. I used to get worried if I couldn't sleep at night, but now I've realised it's better to just sleep when I am tired.

"I get so much support here and that makes me happy. Hopefully I will come back here next year and win it again."

For Robertson, it was only a second defeat in eight major ranking finals.

"In the first session I felt I could have been 6-3 up," he said. "Then tonight I played a few great frames to go 8-6. I felt in control then and I felt I was going to win.

"In the next frame Judd got a couple of bits of luck, otherwise I might have gone 9-6. But from 8-7 I hardly got any chances and he made some fantastic breaks.

"Overall I've got to be really happy to have got to the final. I know I can play well in China now."

The former world champion had reached the final with a 9-5 win over Shaun Murphy on Saturday, while Trump had secured his place at the top of the world rankings with a 9-1 demolition of Peter Ebdon a day earlier.

But it was Robertson who started more brightly, opening up a 4-2 lead after the first four frames had been shared.

Trump levelled, only for Robertson to edge ahead at the end of the afternoon and, after Trump started brightly in the evening, his fellow left-hander looked to have established a decisive lead with runs of 68, 88 and 73.

From 8-6 down, though, Trump proved his mettle, taking a vital 15th frame then reeling off two huge breaks at the perfect time to move within one of the title.

When Robertson failed to advantage of an opening in the 18th frame, a superb red and pink set Trump on the way to victory.

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Trump Tops No 1 After Ebdon Win

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Judd Trump moved top of the world rankings by thrashing Peter Ebdon 9-1 to reach the final of the International Championship in Chengdu, China.

The 23-year-old from Bristol raced to a 7-1 lead against an out-of-sorts Ebdon, then finished the job in the first two frames of the evening session.

"It's a proud moment to get to number one," said Trump. "It's been a long road to get there."

Trump will meet either Neil Robertson or Shaun Murphy in Sunday's final.

"It will be tough either way in the final. I've got a better record against Shaun and it might be a more free-flowing game against him," Trump told the World Snooker website. "The way I feel, I fancy beating both of them."

The first staging of the tournament in Chengdu, China carries a winners' cheque of £125,000.

Trump needed a final-frame decider to edge out fellow left-hander Mark Allen in Thursday's quarter-finals, but was ruthless against China Open winner Ebdon, who received an early warning from the referee for conceding a frame before needing snookers.

Ebdon cut Trump's lead to 3-1 with the only century break of the match but Trump chipped away by punishing his fellow Englishman's many mistakes with seven breaks of 50 or more.

"Peter didn't play his natural game. At the start of the match he was trying to put me off and put me out of my rhythm," added Trump.

"I told myself before the match to stay patient and wait for my chances. In the end he bogged himself down for the first couple of frames.

"Then he made a century in reasonable time. When he plays his normal game instead of trying to slow people down he's a better player."

Ebdon briefly threatened a fightback in the evening session, but missed a regulation red in the ninth frame to let Trump in for a clearance.

Then, with a run of 63, Trump ensured he would become only the 10th man to hold top spot since the rankings began.

Snooker's world number ones

Ray Reardon (May 1975 - May 1981, May 1982 - May 1983)

Cliff Thorburn (May 1981 - May 1982)

Steve Davis (May 1983 - May 1990)

Stephen Hendry (May 1990 - May 1998, May 2006 - May 2007)

John Higgins (May 1998 - May 2000, May 2007 - May 2008, May 2010 - Sep 2010, Dec 2010 - May 2011)

Mark Williams (May 2002 - May 2002, May 2003 - May 2004, May 2011 - Sep 2011)

Ronnie O'Sullivan (May 2002 - May 2003, May 2004 - May 2006, May 2008 - May 2010)

Neil Robertson (Sep 2010 - Dec 2010)

Mark Selby (Sep 2011 - Nov 2012)

Judd Trump (Nov 2012 - )

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Carter Trumped at Crucible

UK champion Judd Trump has suffered a shock 13-12 defeat to Ali Carter in the last 16 of the World Championship quarter-finals at the Crucible.

Resuming 9-7 up, last year's losing finalist Trump edged to within a frame of victory at 12-9.

However, world number 17 Carter bravely fought back to force a decider and then won a scrappy final frame to secure an unlikely victory.

Matthew Stevens also beat Barry Hawkins 13-11 to advance to the quarter-finals.

Carter, who reached the final in 2008, will play either Jamie Jones or Andrew Higginson in the last eight, while Stevens will face Ryan Day after the Welshman beat Cao Yupeng in the second round.

"I'm delighted to get through," Carter told BBC Sport. "All credit to Judd. He pots them from everywhere, but there's more to this game than potting balls from everywhere as I've shown today."

After potting a crucial colour in the deciding frame, Carter punched the air only to make a mistake on the next red which let Trump back in, albeit it needing snookers.

"I've got a lot of experience," he added. "I shouldn't have done the fist-pump but I thought I was home and dry.

"I played a bad shot on the last red. If I had concentrated on getting a good safety, I would have won easy, but it makes it all more sweeter as I had to suffer even more."

World number two Trump was one of the favourites coming into the tournament and looked in fine form as he won six of the afternoon's eight frames on Sunday to transform a 5-3 overnight deficit against Ali Carter into a 9-7 lead.

The 22-year-old left-hander started the final session strongly, winning the opener before being pegged back by Carter, who knocked in a break of 70.

A break of 96 increased Trump's lead to three one more, but Carter refused to be beaten and a knocked in a break of 94 to make it 11-9.

Trump won a scrappy 21st frame to move to within one of victory, but Carter clung on with a break of 81.

Carter won the next to force a decider, which turned into a marathon as both players made mistakes under pressure.

Trump had his chances after Carter's break broke down, and at one stage came to the table needing four snookers. However, it wasn't to be.

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Judd Trump's Jimmy White

Defending champion Judd Trump held off a spirited fightback from Jimmy White to book his place in the second round of the China Open in Beijing.

Trump looked on course for an easy win when he stormed into a 4-1 lead with the help of a total clearance of 122 in the second frame.

However, White hit back with a century of his own in the sixth frame and took the next as well after an initial break of 62 which Trump looked set to wipe out until crucially missing the final blue.

White gratefully potted the blue and pink to keep the match alive, but Trump had the final word with a break of 73 in the eighth frame to seal a 5-3 success.

Elsewhere, local favourite Ding Junhui recovered from 4-0 down to scrape past England's Ben Woollaston 5-4 and delight the home crowd.

Woollaston looked certain for a place in the last 16 until Ding made the most of the mid-session interval to regain his composure, the Chinese star reeling off the next five frames and finishing the match in style with a break of 111.

Former world champion Graeme Dott had an easier time in beating Mark King 5-2, while the in-form Stephen Lee beat Tom Ford 5-1.

Earlier in the day, last year's beaten finalist Mark Selby eased into the last 16 with a 5-0 whitewash of local hopeful Li Hang.

Li had ousted former world champions Ken Doherty and Dott in reaching the second round last year, but third seed Selby quickly ensured there would be no repeat.

The Leicester cueman, beaten by Trump in last year's final, raced into a 4-0 lead following a clearance of 139 before clinching the most routine of first-round successes to set up a second-round clash with Ding.

Former champion Stephen Maguire was similarly untroubled as he cast aside Barry Hawkins 5-1.

Rory McLeod set up a first-round meeting with world champion John Higgins after he breezed to a 5-0 win over Zhou Yuelong as the final two qualifiers were played.

Jin Long was the last to clinch his place in the main draw with a 5-4 victory over Fergal O'Brien.

Jin had trailed 53-0 in the deciding frame but battled back to book a meeting with three-time winner Mark Williams on Wednesday.

China White Faces Judd Trump

Jimmy White booked a China Open first-round clash with defending champion Judd Trump after coming through the wildcard round in Beijing.

White, who will bid to play in the World Championship at the age of 50 in April, saw off Omar Alkojah 5-3.

In the first round proper, seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry edged out Martin Gould 5-4.

Neil Robertson beat Jamie Cope by the same scoreline to set up a second-round meeting with Hendry.

Former world number two White could have recorded a 147 against Alkojah, but fell short on 80 in the sixth frame.

He also had a run of 57 and recorded two 67s in the eighth to close out the match.

Other winners in the wildcard round included 2009 champion Peter Ebdon and Mark King.

Hendry, who had earlier notched up breaks of 135, 86 and 68, looked to be heading for defeat when Gould led 51-25 in the decider, only for the Londoner to miss a simple red.

The Scotsman cleared up to take victory and said afterwards: "It was a very good match, I enjoyed it very much, it was exciting.

"In the final frame there were many times I thought I was going to lose, I even took my cue apart, so I'm very happy and excited to win the match."

O'Sullivan Trumped at Ally Pally

Judd Trump saw off crowd favourite Ronnie O'Sullivan to reach the semi-finals of the BGC Masters at Alexandra Palace today.

Trump, the game's rising star and reigning UK champion, raced into a 4-0 lead at the mid-session interval in the best-of-11 encounter.

Although O'Sullivan looked better after the resumption – hitting a tournament-best break of 141 – Trump always had plenty in reserve and picked up the remaining frames required for a 6-2 victory.

His century break aside, four-time champion O'Sullivan failed to live up to the promise of his first-round win over reigning champion Ding Junhui, but the inexorable rise of Trump continues, and he will play Neil Robertson or Mark Williams in the final four.

The match got off to a scrappy start with neither player able to find their rhythm, but the frame eventually went the way of Trump with a 39.

O'Sullivan's safety play let him down in the next to open the way for Trump to rattle off an assured break that broke down at 66.

O'Sullivan attempted to play on but a missed red spelled the end of his efforts as Trump moved 2-0 ahead.

The Bristolian missed a red early in the third to clear the way for O'Sullivan to finally put a break together, reaching 49 before running out of options.

His attempted safety was not aggressive enough, however, and Trump needed no second invitation to surge back into the frame, a 78 clearance further extending his lead.

And Trump picked up where he left off in the next frame, a brilliant break of 140 – at the time the highest of the tournament so far – handing him a 4-0 lead.

O'Sullivan finally got off the mark with a 67 in the first frame after the break, but Trump responded in the next, three modest breaks putting him in charge after O'Sullivan had broken down on 28.

With Trump 55-28 ahead, the frame came down to an exchange of safety shots on the green, but when O'Sullivan left the ball over the hole, Trump had an easy chance to tuck it away and move to within a frame of victory.

O'Sullivan delayed Trump's celebrations with a supreme performance in the next frame, reeling off a break of 141 to stay alive at 5-2.

The 36-year-old looked like he might pull back even closer in the next when he made a good start only to break down on 54, which gave Trump just enough points on the table to clear up and book his place in the semis.

Judd Trumps Bingham at Masters

Judd Trump won four frames in a row to beat Stuart Bingham 6-3 and secure a quarter-final tie against Ronnie O'Sullivan on Thursday.

Bingham went 2-1 up in the best of eleven match but Trump levelled with a 107 break in the fourth frame.

Despite Bingham then taking a 3-2 lead, Trump took control in a run of four frames which included a 121 break in the seventh frame.

"I'll have to improve probably 50% if I want to beat Ronnie," admitted Trump.

"I felt relaxed and I felt after the first frame that I've got a lead and I thought I could run away with it, but I just kept giving him chances.

"I cannot give Ronnie those chances I was giving Stuart.

"The first round can be the hardest round. You want to get it out of the way, no matter how you do it."

Despite his two centuries the 22-year-old from Bristol was prone to errors that Australian Open champion Bingham was quick to capitalise on.

World number eight Trump looked at ease as he compiled a confident 87 in the opener, but made just 19 at the start of the second before a hasty blue paved the way for Bingham to hit a 69 and pull level.

Bingham prevailed in a scrappy third by hitting breaks of 24 and 25 in a close tussle before an emphatic 107 in the next improved Trump's mood.

The pair exchanged frames again as Basildon potter Bingham re-established his lead at 3-2.

Trump responded with gritty breaks of 25 and 29 to level before a break of 121 moved him ahead for the first time since the opening frame.

A 37 at the start of the eighth frame put Trump in charge but a superb long red triggered a run of 32 from Bingham before a missed pink let his opponent back in.

Leading 52-49 with the colours remaining, Trump was given half a chance on a long yellow after a period of cat-and-mouse and duly fired home before slotting in the remaining colours for a 5-3 lead.

Bingham hit breaks of 24 and 26 in response to Trump's 50 in the next to leave the frame delicately poised.

The players slugged it out for several shots before Bingham finally opened the door for Trump, who smashed in the green and the remaining colours to take the victory.

FACTFILE

Born: 21 August, 1989 in Bristol

Turned pro: 2005

World ranking: 8

Ranking titles: 2

2011 prize money: £236,940