Judd Trump is through to his fourth Shanghai Masters final after a 10-3 demolition of Ronnie O’Sullivan, ending the Rocket’s incredible winning streak in the event.
O’Sullivan had notched up 21 straight match wins in the tournament and claimed four consecutive titles. The last time he was beaten in Shanghai was all the way back in 2016, when he lost out against Michael Holt.
Trump’s exploits in ending the seven-time Crucible king's streak earn him a place in tomorrow’s title match, where he will go up against Shaun Murphy for the £210,000 top prize. The pair are both aiming to lift silverware in Shanghai for the first time. Trump has previously lost finals against John Higgins, Kyren Wilson and O’Sullivan.
Victory for the 2019 World Champion also brings to an end a run of five consecutive defeats against O’Sullivan, which includes the 2022 World Championship final.
The damage was done this afternoon, when a devastating display of break building saw Trump establish an 8-1 advantage. That left him just two frames from victory, but O’Sullivan did take the first two of the evening to make it 8-3.
That resistance was to be short lived. Trump fired in a break of 110, his fourth century of the match, to move one away and then claimed the 13th to wrap up a famous victory.
"I knew that I'd lost quite a few times in a row against him. That isn't a record you want to have. You don't want him to fancy his chances every time he plays you. It was nice to get one back and show I can still play a little bit," said 34-year-old Trump.
"Every time you see him win a tournament, you want to have a chance against him. His record in these prestigious invitational events is incredible. Nobody gets close to him in this kind of tournament. He just seems to come in and find his best form every single time. It is nice to see that he can be human sometimes, he struggled a little bit. I've got to take a little bit of credit as I put him under a lot of pressure early on.
"Shaun is a player I always enjoy facing. He is very attacking. He had an amazing turnaround against Mark Selby. On form it is probably the best two players of the week in the final. It is a game that hopefully everyone will look forward to."
After the match, Trump also paid tribute to legendary six-time World Champion Ray Reardon, who passed away at the age of 91.
Trump said: "He meant a lot to everyone in the game. Especially the Welsh players, they owe a lot to him. I think you have seen how much respect he has from Ronnie and Mark Williams. You can tell what he means to all of the players. He is a legend of the game and someone that will go down in the history books of Welsh sport. He is the flagbearer for Welsh snooker. It is a sad day and best wishes to all of his friends and family."