Category: Judd Trump

When Judd Trump was born in August 1989, snooker was dominated by a winning machine.

Steve Davis was world champion, world No. 1 and more responsible than anyone for making this upstart sport respectable and therefore attractive to sponsors, television and family audiences.

Trump is now just three ranking titles behind John Higgins on 31. Stephen Hendry remains second on 36 with Ronnie O’Sullivan out in front on 41.

Eras differ. When Davis turned professional there was only one ranking tournament, the World Championship. Even at his peak in the late 80s there were no more than eight a season, as opposed to the 17 available in the current campaign. Had there been more, he would have won more.

But standards have risen and the game has become more competitive, so for Trump to keep adding trophies to his collection on such a regular basis is to his enormous credit.

He is particularly adept at winning tournaments where every player comes in at the last 128 stage, meaning you have to play every day during the week with no time for rest.

O’Sullivan has not triumphed in an event played under this format since December 2018; since that point in time, Trump has won 15 such titles.

He has done so by accepting that it won’t always be pretty. To keep going to the well, day after day, and be able to find something takes a multitude of skills. The pioneer of ‘naughty’ snooker is now a master at grinding out results if his A-game is absent.

Trump has become a brilliant tactician, able to out-think opponents as well as out-score them. He is still knocking in the big breaks as well, with 76 centuries this season putting him well out in front of the rest.

The other quality a relentless winner needs is nerve. Trump now wins more than his fair share of close frames, soaking up pressure to shift the psychological momentum his way.

This was never more evident in Yushan than during his defeat of Kyren Wilson in the last 16, in which he won an hour-long fifth frame, albeit with two mighty flukes on green and brown. (Davis himself was often accused of being lucky. His deadpan response was, “I have more luck because I play more matches.”)

Trump is a very different player to Davis but they share certain traits. Both were painfully shy as boys, finding solace on the snooker table where introverts have traditionally thrived.

Both brought a different way of playing to the fore. For Davis, it was based on technique and solid preparation. Trump also puts the work in but possesses great cue power and is able to get the cue ball fizzing in all directions.

Davis loved winning. One or two titles a year was not enough. Trump has the same attitude, treating each tournament the same and not letting success go to his head.

The big challenge now – perhaps the only one – is to add to his solitary world title. It’s five years since Trump produced an exhibition of shot-making brilliance to beat John Higgins at the Crucible. He reached the final again in 2022, losing to O’Sullivan, but has otherwise disappointed in Sheffield in recent times.

He knows that, for all his considerable success elsewhere, careers are judged by a player’s record in the World Championship, the tournament which towers above all others due to its history, prominence and the marathon length of its matches.

So often at the Crucible, Trump seems to start slowly. Even in 2019 he only just scraped past Thepchaiya Un Nooh in the first round, 10-9. In other years he has narrowly come through his opening encounter or been beaten, as he was last year by Anthony McGill.

This is in contrast to regular tour events where he slogs his way through the early rounds often without finding top gear. The key then is to find a way of taking this game to Sheffield.

Davis once famously said the secret to winning at snooker was to “play as if it means nothing when it means everything.” The problem is, it really does mean everything. If it didn’t then the king of the 80s would not have missed that last black against Dennis Taylor in the 1985 final.

Aside from the additional pressure the World Championship brings, Trump’s main problem is the strength of his rivals. Neil Robertson will have to qualify for the first time since 2006 and if he does get through will be playing one of the top 16 seeds – maybe Trump – in the first round.

O’Sullivan is going into this year’s event with the ambition to add an eighth world title to the eight UK Championship and Masters crowns he has earned.

Add in the likes of Mark Allen, Mark Selby and a host of others with the drive and potential to succeed and the tournament is looking harder than ever to win.

There is a certain snobbery to the way some see snooker, dismissing events such as the World Open as somehow lesser than the established British tournaments, an attitude rooted largely in nostalgia.

Yet the fact remains that there is one trophy which counts more than the rest. It has been presented to every world champion since the first in 1927 and Judd Trump will be aware that the likes of Davis, Hendry and O’Sullivan are way ahead of him on this particular measure of greatness.

As attention turns once again to the Crucible, he knows this is the place where he can end all arguments as to his status.

Trump led 7-2 after the first session and secured three more frames for victory in Yushan to win his fifth ranking title of the season.

Speaking after the win, Trump was surprised that his win came by such a large margin.

He said: “I thought it was going to be a tough game against Ding. I’ve seen how well he’d been scoring. He beat everyone pretty comfortably, except Neil [Robertson] where he scraped through.

“I thought it was going to be really tough. I managed to dig in this afternoon, and get a good lead. Then this evening, I probably played the best snooker of the tournament that I’ve played and managed to get over the line quite comfortably.

“I felt a lot more relaxed, and I was just hitting the ball a lot better. Whenever you’ve got a lead like that, you just relax and play as if you’re in practice.

“I played very good tonight and it’s always difficult if you’ve got a big lead, especially if the crowd gets behind him and he starts winning frames.”

The former world No. 1 said that it would have been harder if Ding had put the pressure on in the second session, with the crowd able to make a difference if momentum goes in favour of the home player.”

He added: “It can be a very lonely atmosphere if things start going his way, so I knew it was important to finish off the job as soon as possible.

“It was one of those games I thrive on. I remember against Ronnie [O’Sullivan] in a Masters final and I did the same thing. It’s something that really gets me going.

“I knew it was going to be tough, and I knew it was important to get a good lead, because you could feel the support behind him, but I think it was also very fair.

“Nobody wants to have their opponent having more support than you, but sometimes you have to use it to your advantage, to motivate yourself.”

Trump has enjoyed an exceptional season with five titles to his name, and was asked if he might pull off a haul of a “magnificent seven”, replying that he had given himself a chance with the Tour Championship and World Championship to come.

He answered: “It’s obviously going to be difficult, but I’ve put myself in an amazing position. I think I said this at the start of the season after I’d won three in a row.

“I was able to just relax and enjoy the season. If I didn’t win another game it would have been an amazing season. I’ve managed to keep ticking over, winning the German [Masters] and winning this one, with a couple of finals as well. It’s been a dream season for me.”

Judd Trump booked his spot in the final of the World Open with a comfortable 6-2 victory over Jackson Page.

The Englishman continued his remarkable run of results to reach his eighth final of the season and will face either Neil Robertson or Ding Junhui on Sunday as he aims to capture a fifth ranking-event title.

The result brought a brilliant tournament to an end for Wales’ Page, who failed to produce the kind of snooker that saw him reach the last-four stage.

Trump won this event the last time it was held in 2019 and took the early lead with a break of 122 in the opening frame.

The pair split the first four frames, with Page responding each time Trump edged ahead to go in at the break level at 2-2.

But Trump showcased his all-round game to get over the line.

A devastating potter and break-builder when firing on all cylinders, he has also added a grittiness to his arsenal in recent years.

It’s that quality which saw him take scrappy fifth and sixth frames, making Page pay for his profligacy.

Page got in first in the seventh frame but again couldn’t make a sizable contribution as Trump moved within one of victory courtesy of a break of 67.

The eighth followed a similar pattern, with both enjoying chances. Trump allowed Page a reprieve when he had the frame at his mercy but the Welshman missed a tricky brown which ended his hopes of a comeback.

Judd Trump is into the semi-finals of the 2024 World Open after coming through a tough battle with Kyren Wilson – but needed a healthy slice of luck along the way.

Trump, who is the defending champion in Yushan, having won the last edition of the event in 2019, eventually came through 5-2 against world No. 11 Wilson.

Trump took the first frame courtesy of a quick-fire break of 67 after capitalising on a missed pink from Wilson.

Wilson looked to bounce back immediately and led the second following a break of 47, but a poor safety opened the door for Trump to battle his way back into contention.

On the colours, Trump sank a troublesome green before pulling away for a 2-0 lead.

Undeterred, Wilson reduced the deficit following a break of 66, leaving Trump requiring two snookers, which ultimately didn’t materialise.

A safety error from Trump in the fourth frame allowed Wilson to seize the initiative with a break of 70 to level things up.

A see-saw, hour-long fifth frame – also involving a re-rack – followed, with the two men involved in a tense battle on the final red and the yellow, but two astonishing back-to-back flukes on the green and brown turned things in Trump’s favour.

Hammering the cue ball at the green, the ball flew around the table before settling in the top-right pocket, albeit leaving Trump trapped behind the blue.

But almost unbelievably, the world No. 2 found a way out off the cushion to see the brown eventually drop into the top left pocket, before clearing up for the frame.

“Have you ever seen two more outrageous flukes back-to-back?” said a stunned Philip Studd on Eurosport commentary.

A despondent Wilson then jawsed a red to the middle pocket in the next frame before conceding to leave his opponent one frame from victory.

Wilson’s misfortune continued after missing a red to the bottom left, allowing Trump to take advantage and seal the frame and the win.

Trump will play Jackson Page in the last four, with the latter into his first ranking tournament semi-final following an impressive 5-2 win over Elliot Slessor.

Breaks of 90 and 140 put Page in control in the first two frames, but Slessor battled back to level things up at 2-2 with a break of 77 and edging a closely-fought fourth.

But buoyed by his win over Mark Selby a day earlier, Page kept the big breaks coming with knocks of 78, 76 and 87 in the final three frames to advance in style.

• Judd Trump 5-2 Kyren Wilson
• Jackson Page 5-2 Elliot Slessor

• Hossein Vafaei v Ding Junhui
• Neil Robertson v Barry Hawkins

Thanks for joining us. Judd through to meet Jackson Page in the last four. We will be back at 11:20am with more live updates from the remaining World Open quarter-finals as Hossein Vafaei meets Ding Junhui with Neil Robertson facing Barry Hawkins.

And the match belongs to Judd as he produces a tough snooker for Kyren to negotiate. Wilson escapes from the snooker, but leaves the pink to right middle and he pops in the pink to see out the victory. A match that was really defined by two huge flukes in the fifth frame that changed the whole mood of the battle.

Another huge twist in the match as Judd misses match-ball pink. Wasn’t easy, but didn’t expect him to miss it trying to clip it into the green pocket. A 63 break from Judd in response to 60 from Kyren. Comes down to this battle on the pink. Didn’t leave the pink for Kyren.

Road clear for Trump to see this out. Red to yellow is almost perfect. Closing in on victory.

Down to the final four reds. Nothing really safe on this table. Has Kyren played his final shot and match in this tournament? Will probably be fearing the worst now.

But he overcuts a red when he looked on cusp of winning frame and red stays up. So another 60 is decent, but a bad miss by Kyren, who is talking to himself.

Taking these balls very well so far. Every chance he might take out this frame in one hit as a mid-range red is powered into the bag. A superb clean strike of the white ball. Won’t do his confidence any harm.

Judd almost with another fluke early in this seventh frame, but red just runs out of legs heading for the yellow bag. Much to the relief of Kyren. Chance for Wilson to regain some momentum at this visit.

This has been much more like it from Judd. A 59 break from Trump to leave Wilson needing a snooker on the final red. Kyren escapes from a snooker, but leaves red over right centre and WIlson has seen enough. It is a 4-2 lead for Trump. Kyren probably should have been 3-2 up not so long ago, but somehow finds himself on the brink of defeat. What an odd match this has been.

Not exactly classic fare from either man in this contest so far. Both men with chances in the sixth frame, but can’t cash in as breaks end prematurely. Judd returns to the table perhaps buoyed by that massive steal in the fifth frame. Would dearly love to move two ahead with a possible three to play.

Would you believe that finale to a frame? A taut 51-minute frame is won by Judd after two massive flukes on green and brown. Threw his cue at a green. Nowhere near the potting angle and the green dropped in the green pocket up and down the table. Was snookered on the brown behind blue, but got the escape and watched as the brown ended up dropping in the yellow bag. Wilson shaking his head as Judd then takes out blue, pink and black for the steal. A horror frame for Kyren to lose.

In goes the yellow from Judd, but no more at this visit. Kyren still chasing green and brown for this epic fifth frame. One for the purists. Don’t forget. It was also a re-rack.

Decision time for Kyren as he is faced with chance of long yellow, but turns down the pot to focus on another safety shot. This frame running for well over 30 minutes so far. Wilson tries to clip home yellow, but it doesn’t drop. Judd opts against attempting to slot yellow.

Mistake by Kyren on the red, but he ends up with a triple kiss on red and inadvertently knocks the yellow safe. So Trump knocks in red and blue to stay in the hunt before Kyren hands over another four points by missing a thin snick on the yellow. Getting very tense this frame.

Down to the final red. Wilson only needs the red to leave Judd needing snookers. A real safety joust on the final red. Frame looks wide open for whoever can snare the red.

But no winning thrust from Judd as he can’t land on the final red and misses a pink at pace to left middle. A real reprieve for Kyren.

A massive blunder by Kyren. Has a dart at a long red. Red spins back out and splatters the pack of reds. Nothing safe on the table. Wilson shakes his head as he sits down. Not too many obstacles on this table.

Kyren making very good progress in this break. Safety mistake by Trump handed Wilson this chance, but he breaks down on 58 and is forced to run safe. 58 sounds a lot, but not so much on these table. Ripe for dishing up.

A brilliant break of 87 to finish from Jackson after producing earlier knocks of 90, 140, 78 and 76. He is through to the last four at a ranking event for the first time and will face the winner of the Trump v Wilson match from 6am GMT on Saturday morning in Yushan.

Early opportunity for Wilson to continue his resurgence in this match, but he overcuts a red down a side rail. Well, that is unexpected. Disappointing outcome is sweetened by the fact he didn’t leave Judd any sort of pot on a red. And the players quickly decide upon a re-rack. Page back among the balls on the other table. On a break of 46. On cusp of semi-finals.

Page moves 4-2 clear of Slessor courtesy of a 76 break as play resumes between Judd and Kyren. Both men chasing three more frames to reach the semi-finals.

Fair to say the other table isn’t hanging about this morning as Page moves 3-2 clear with a 78 break in the fifth frame boosting his hopes against Slessor.

A quickfire 70 from the man dubbed ‘The Warrior’ and Trump has seen enough. All square at 2-2 heading for a cuppa in Yushan.

Looks like that safety mistake by Trump is going to cost him the frame. These tables are playing in a manner in which safety errors are magnified. Kyren moves to 51 with more to come. Looks like we are heading to 2-2 at the mid-session interval.

Bit of a safety slog due to the black hanging over a top bag. Wilson so close to slotting red to right centre, but it somehow stays out. A spot of rolling up to red ensues. Blunder by Trump sees him clip a middle jaw trying to run white back to baulk and a glorious chance is presented to Kyren.

Judd with an excellent long red followed by a pinpoint pot on yellow to land on a single red down the table. Supreme positional sense there. Chance to reassert himself here then. But he can’t drop in a thin cut on a black heading into the red. Black stays over hole. No damage done though as Kyren misses a tough cut on a red to left middle.

All level on the other main showpiece table as Slessor edges a tight fourth frame to restore parity at 2-2 from 2-0 behind.

Judd clears up to the blue in an attempt to get the snooker on pink, but he can’t get the right angle and he quickly halts the white in making the concession. Kyren back to 2-1 behind.

A very timely break of 66 from Kyren. Misses the black off spot, but Judd needs two snookers on the remaining four colours otherwise this match is back to 2-1.

Break of 51 and counting as Kyren springs another red away from a side cushion. Looking very good here to win his first frame of the day.

Kyren back among the balls as he keeps break going with another excellent double on a red after getting in off a long red. Looks like a very nice chance to weigh in with a big break.

Little bit of timely check side on white by Trump to remain at the business end of the table after getting his latest visit to the table started with a lovely red to right centre. These pockets are certainly user friendly as he bangs in a black along the top cush. But no big break as he is forced to run safe again with a lead of 33 points.

Safety blunder by Kyren early in the third frame, but Judd someow sees the white miss pack of reds in slotting black. So the error by WIlson not costing him on that occasion.

The big breaks just keep coming in Yushan. Slessor is on the board next door with a break of 77 after watching Page bound to a 90 and 140.

Trump mops up green, brown, blue and pink. And that is a 2-0 lead for the 2019 world champion. Early days, but Wilson surely needs one of the next two frames before the mid-session break. Kyren could easily have led 2-0 in this quarter-final. School of hard knocks at this level.

Wilson with a swerve shot to hit the green, but he sticks it up over the yellow pocket. Golden chance for Judd to move 2-0 clear here surely.

Trump can’t get the right potting angle on the yellow to land on green. Chance of double to right centre, but opts for the safety shot. A tactical battle on this green to decide this frame.

Down to the final red, and Judd clips home a red down a side rail with the rest. Those pockets have plenty of give on them. Just the green ball is the problem ball.

A tasty little plant by Kyren to keep break going, but he decides to cut his losses on 47 by knocking a green sort of safe-ish to a side cush. A safety blunder seconds later sticks up a red though and suddenly Judd has chance to launch the counter attack.

What a start to the day by Jackson. 90 and 140 in the first two frames. Huge early fluke on a yellow to get the break started, but didn’t look back from the point onwards. Brimming with confidence clearly after his 5-2 win over Mark Selby yesterday.

Another fine double on a red by Wilson this time in baulk to right centre and that provides him with the impetus to get his scoring boots on here. Every chance to make a few points as he bids to level this match at 1-1. Just a case of keeping that cue ball under tight control.

Off we go then for the second frame of the day. Wilson giving an early warning that he can’t afford to be missing easy pinks on these tables. Very generous pockets this week, it must be said. Meanwhile, Jackson Page opens with 90 break against Slessor on the other table and is on a 60 knock as we speak in the second. Made for heavy breaks these tables.

But Wilson missing a pink to left centre crashing into the reds is going to prove so costly. Judd racing through these balls like a knife through hot butter. A rapid knock of 67 and that is a 1-0 lead in the bag for the defending champ. Nice way to start his day.

A break of 38 from Judd before he breaks down. Retrieved the situation well on 30 with a fine double on a red, but not much more afterwards. A serious safety mistake by Judd then provides Kyren with his first scoring chance of the day.

Wilson tries to poke home a long red straight off the bat off the Trump break-off shot, but can’t ram it home and easy starter for Judd in this first frame of a possible nine. Trump full of possibilities this season.

Almost ready to get this one up and running. Trump with an 11-8 lead on the career head-to-heads. They last met at the Masters in January with Trump winning a thriller 6-5 in the first round. First man to five frames reaches the last four today. Here is how he won that epic battle at Alexandra Palace.

The defending champion is bidding to add to victories at the English Open, Wuhan Open, Northern Ireland Open and German Masters.

We’ve reached the quarter-finals of the World Open in Yushan with the balls set to start rolling at 6:30am GMT in the race for the £170,000 first prize. Our featured match this morning sees Judd Trump and Kyren Wilson collide for a semi-final spot with Jackson Page battling Elliot Slessor on the other main showpiece table. Meanwhile, Neil Robertson and Barry Hawkins meet later this morning with Ding Junhui and Hossein Vafaei colliding from 11:30am. A fascinating few hours ahead.

• Judd Trump v Kyren Wilson
• Jackson Page v Elliot Slessor

• Hossein Vafaei v Ding Junhui
• Neil Robertson v Barry Hawkins

Hossein Vafaei admitted he thought he “was going to lose” before stunning his “hero” Ronnie O’Sullivan with a 5-4 victory at the World Open that was decided by the black in the final frame.

The Iranian never fell behind in a famous victory that saw him march into the quarter-finals in Yushan, where he will face Ding Junhui.

“I’m very happy to get the victory. He [O’Sullivan] is my hero,” said Vafaei.

“Just playing against Ronnie O’Sullivan is a dream come true, but what about winning?”

Top seed Judd Trump moved through with a 5-3 win over David Lilley to continue his bid for a fifth title of the season.

Ding Junhui delighted the home crowd in Yushan with an electric performance to beat Shaun Murphy in the last 16 of the World Open, while Mark Selby suffered a shock defeat to Jackson Page.

• Judd Trump 5-2 Kyren Wilson
• Jackson Page 5-2 Elliot Slessor

• Hossein Vafaei v Ding Junhui
• Neil Robertson v Barry Hawkins

Thanks for joining us. Judd through to meet Jackson Page in the last four. We will be back at 11:20am with more live updates from the remaining World Open quarter-finals as Hossein Vafaei meets Ding Junhui with Neil Robertson facing Barry Hawkins.

And the match belongs to Judd as he produces a tough snooker for Kyren to negotiate. Wilson escapes from the snooker, but leaves the pink to right middle and he pops in the pink to see out the victory. A match that was really defined by two huge flukes in the fifth frame that changed the whole mood of the battle.

Another huge twist in the match as Judd misses match-ball pink. Wasn’t easy, but didn’t expect him to miss it trying to clip it into the green pocket. A 63 break from Judd in response to 60 from Kyren. Comes down to this battle on the pink. Didn’t leave the pink for Kyren.

Road clear for Trump to see this out. Red to yellow is almost perfect. Closing in on victory.

Down to the final four reds. Nothing really safe on this table. Has Kyren played his final shot and match in this tournament? Will probably be fearing the worst now.

But he overcuts a red when he looked on cusp of winning frame and red stays up. So another 60 is decent, but a bad miss by Kyren, who is talking to himself.

Taking these balls very well so far. Every chance he might take out this frame in one hit as a mid-range red is powered into the bag. A superb clean strike of the white ball. Won’t do his confidence any harm.

Judd almost with another fluke early in this seventh frame, but red just runs out of legs heading for the yellow bag. Much to the relief of Kyren. Chance for Wilson to regain some momentum at this visit.

This has been much more like it from Judd. A 59 break from Trump to leave Wilson needing a snooker on the final red. Kyren escapes from a snooker, but leaves red over right centre and WIlson has seen enough. It is a 4-2 lead for Trump. Kyren probably should have been 3-2 up not so long ago, but somehow finds himself on the brink of defeat. What an odd match this has been.

Not exactly classic fare from either man in this contest so far. Both men with chances in the sixth frame, but can’t cash in as breaks end prematurely. Judd returns to the table perhaps buoyed by that massive steal in the fifth frame. Would dearly love to move two ahead with a possible three to play.

Would you believe that finale to a frame? A taut 51-minute frame is won by Judd after two massive flukes on green and brown. Threw his cue at a green. Nowhere near the potting angle and the green dropped in the green pocket up and down the table. Was snookered on the brown behind blue, but got the escape and watched as the brown ended up dropping in the yellow bag. Wilson shaking his head as Judd then takes out blue, pink and black for the steal. A horror frame for Kyren to lose.

In goes the yellow from Judd, but no more at this visit. Kyren still chasing green and brown for this epic fifth frame. One for the purists. Don’t forget. It was also a re-rack.

Decision time for Kyren as he is faced with chance of long yellow, but turns down the pot to focus on another safety shot. This frame running for well over 30 minutes so far. Wilson tries to clip home yellow, but it doesn’t drop. Judd opts against attempting to slot yellow.

Mistake by Kyren on the red, but he ends up with a triple kiss on red and inadvertently knocks the yellow safe. So Trump knocks in red and blue to stay in the hunt before Kyren hands over another four points by missing a thin snick on the yellow. Getting very tense this frame.

Down to the final red. Wilson only needs the red to leave Judd needing snookers. A real safety joust on the final red. Frame looks wide open for whoever can snare the red.

But no winning thrust from Judd as he can’t land on the final red and misses a pink at pace to left middle. A real reprieve for Kyren.

A massive blunder by Kyren. Has a dart at a long red. Red spins back out and splatters the pack of reds. Nothing safe on the table. Wilson shakes his head as he sits down. Not too many obstacles on this table.

Kyren making very good progress in this break. Safety mistake by Trump handed Wilson this chance, but he breaks down on 58 and is forced to run safe. 58 sounds a lot, but not so much on these table. Ripe for dishing up.

A brilliant break of 87 to finish from Jackson after producing earlier knocks of 90, 140, 78 and 76. He is through to the last four at a ranking event for the first time and will face the winner of the Trump v Wilson match from 6am GMT on Saturday morning in Yushan.

Early opportunity for Wilson to continue his resurgence in this match, but he overcuts a red down a side rail. Well, that is unexpected. Disappointing outcome is sweetened by the fact he didn’t leave Judd any sort of pot on a red. And the players quickly decide upon a re-rack. Page back among the balls on the other table. On a break of 46. On cusp of semi-finals.

Page moves 4-2 clear of Slessor courtesy of a 76 break as play resumes between Judd and Kyren. Both men chasing three more frames to reach the semi-finals.

Fair to say the other table isn’t hanging about this morning as Page moves 3-2 clear with a 78 break in the fifth frame boosting his hopes against Slessor.

A quickfire 70 from the man dubbed ‘The Warrior’ and Trump has seen enough. All square at 2-2 heading for a cuppa in Yushan.

Looks like that safety mistake by Trump is going to cost him the frame. These tables are playing in a manner in which safety errors are magnified. Kyren moves to 51 with more to come. Looks like we are heading to 2-2 at the mid-session interval.

Bit of a safety slog due to the black hanging over a top bag. Wilson so close to slotting red to right centre, but it somehow stays out. A spot of rolling up to red ensues. Blunder by Trump sees him clip a middle jaw trying to run white back to baulk and a glorious chance is presented to Kyren.

Judd with an excellent long red followed by a pinpoint pot on yellow to land on a single red down the table. Supreme positional sense there. Chance to reassert himself here then. But he can’t drop in a thin cut on a black heading into the red. Black stays over hole. No damage done though as Kyren misses a tough cut on a red to left middle.

All level on the other main showpiece table as Slessor edges a tight fourth frame to restore parity at 2-2 from 2-0 behind.

Judd clears up to the blue in an attempt to get the snooker on pink, but he can’t get the right angle and he quickly halts the white in making the concession. Kyren back to 2-1 behind.

A very timely break of 66 from Kyren. Misses the black off spot, but Judd needs two snookers on the remaining four colours otherwise this match is back to 2-1.

Break of 51 and counting as Kyren springs another red away from a side cushion. Looking very good here to win his first frame of the day.

Kyren back among the balls as he keeps break going with another excellent double on a red after getting in off a long red. Looks like a very nice chance to weigh in with a big break.

Little bit of timely check side on white by Trump to remain at the business end of the table after getting his latest visit to the table started with a lovely red to right centre. These pockets are certainly user friendly as he bangs in a black along the top cush. But no big break as he is forced to run safe again with a lead of 33 points.

Safety blunder by Kyren early in the third frame, but Judd someow sees the white miss pack of reds in slotting black. So the error by WIlson not costing him on that occasion.

The big breaks just keep coming in Yushan. Slessor is on the board next door with a break of 77 after watching Page bound to a 90 and 140.

Trump mops up green, brown, blue and pink. And that is a 2-0 lead for the 2019 world champion. Early days, but Wilson surely needs one of the next two frames before the mid-session break. Kyren could easily have led 2-0 in this quarter-final. School of hard knocks at this level.

Wilson with a swerve shot to hit the green, but he sticks it up over the yellow pocket. Golden chance for Judd to move 2-0 clear here surely.

Trump can’t get the right potting angle on the yellow to land on green. Chance of double to right centre, but opts for the safety shot. A tactical battle on this green to decide this frame.

Down to the final red, and Judd clips home a red down a side rail with the rest. Those pockets have plenty of give on them. Just the green ball is the problem ball.

A tasty little plant by Kyren to keep break going, but he decides to cut his losses on 47 by knocking a green sort of safe-ish to a side cush. A safety blunder seconds later sticks up a red though and suddenly Judd has chance to launch the counter attack.

What a start to the day by Jackson. 90 and 140 in the first two frames. Huge early fluke on a yellow to get the break started, but didn’t look back from the point onwards. Brimming with confidence clearly after his 5-2 win over Mark Selby yesterday.

Another fine double on a red by Wilson this time in baulk to right centre and that provides him with the impetus to get his scoring boots on here. Every chance to make a few points as he bids to level this match at 1-1. Just a case of keeping that cue ball under tight control.

Off we go then for the second frame of the day. Wilson giving an early warning that he can’t afford to be missing easy pinks on these tables. Very generous pockets this week, it must be said. Meanwhile, Jackson Page opens with 90 break against Slessor on the other table and is on a 60 knock as we speak in the second. Made for heavy breaks these tables.

But Wilson missing a pink to left centre crashing into the reds is going to prove so costly. Judd racing through these balls like a knife through hot butter. A rapid knock of 67 and that is a 1-0 lead in the bag for the defending champ. Nice way to start his day.

A break of 38 from Judd before he breaks down. Retrieved the situation well on 30 with a fine double on a red, but not much more afterwards. A serious safety mistake by Judd then provides Kyren with his first scoring chance of the day.

Wilson tries to poke home a long red straight off the bat off the Trump break-off shot, but can’t ram it home and easy starter for Judd in this first frame of a possible nine. Trump full of possibilities this season.

Almost ready to get this one up and running. Trump with an 11-8 lead on the career head-to-heads. They last met at the Masters in January with Trump winning a thriller 6-5 in the first round. First man to five frames reaches the last four today. Here is how he won that epic battle at Alexandra Palace.

The defending champion is bidding to add to victories at the English Open, Wuhan Open, Northern Ireland Open and German Masters.

We’ve reached the quarter-finals of the World Open in Yushan with the balls set to start rolling at 6:30am GMT in the race for the £170,000 first prize. Our featured match this morning sees Judd Trump and Kyren Wilson collide for a semi-final spot with Jackson Page battling Elliot Slessor on the other main showpiece table. Meanwhile, Neil Robertson and Barry Hawkins meet later this morning with Ding Junhui and Hossein Vafaei colliding from 11:30am. A fascinating few hours ahead.

• Judd Trump v Kyren Wilson
• Jackson Page v Elliot Slessor

• Hossein Vafaei v Ding Junhui
• Neil Robertson v Barry Hawkins

Hossein Vafaei admitted he thought he “was going to lose” before stunning his “hero” Ronnie O’Sullivan with a 5-4 victory at the World Open that was decided by the black in the final frame.

The Iranian never fell behind in a famous victory that saw him march into the quarter-finals in Yushan, where he will face Ding Junhui.

“I’m very happy to get the victory. He [O’Sullivan] is my hero,” said Vafaei.

“Just playing against Ronnie O’Sullivan is a dream come true, but what about winning?”

Top seed Judd Trump moved through with a 5-3 win over David Lilley to continue his bid for a fifth title of the season.

Ding Junhui delighted the home crowd in Yushan with an electric performance to beat Shaun Murphy in the last 16 of the World Open, while Mark Selby suffered a shock defeat to Jackson Page.