Judd Trumps Selby In Cheltenham
Masters champion Judd Trump produced an imperious display to sweep aside world number one Mark Selby 5-1 and reach the semi-finals of the Coral World Grand Prix.
The victory sees Trump through to the last four of a ranking event for the 31st time in his career. The Ace in the Pack has now edged ahead of Selby in the head-to-head stakes, leading 6-5 having also beaten him on his way to winning the Masters last month.
Selby will have to wait a bit longer to end his run without claiming ranking silverware in the UK, which extends back to the 2017 World Championship. The three-time Crucible king faces a battle to keep a hold of his world number one spot, with both Mark Williams and Ronnie O’Sullivan currently projected to leapfrog him in the provisional end of season rankings.
Both Trump and Selby have already secured their progression to the next event in the Coral Series, the Players Championship. The top 16 players in the one-year money list will go on to compete at the iconic Guild Hall in Preston. The best eight will then gain a place at the Tour Championship in Llandudno. Trump currently sits in sixth position, with Selby in third.
Throughout this afternoon’s clash, Trump’s long potting proved to be a key weapon. The 29-year-old recorded a 100% conversion rate, making 7/7 from long range. That afforded him several opportunities to make breaks and he took full advantage.
Trump composed runs of 77 and 86 on his way to leading 3-1 at the mid-session interval. When the players returned Trump reeled off his required two frames in under 30 minutes, composing runs of 102 and 72 to secure the win.
“I felt good. Very confident and very relaxed. I took my practice game out there which is quite rare. It was just one of those days where everything went right,” said Trump. “I’ve learned a lot from Mark over the last few seasons. His safety, determination and never giving in. I’ve tried to take that into my game and that is really paying off.”
Trump’s opponent in the last four will be Barry Hawkins, who came through with a comfortable 5-2 defeat of last week’s German Masters winner Kyren Wilson.
Hawkins, who was a finalist at this season’s Shanghai Masters, produced a ruthless display of break building to surge to victory this afternoon. He composed breaks of 134, 64, 63 and 116 on his way to the win.
Trump and Hawkins will face each other for a place in the final over the best of 11 frames tomorrow evening.