Judd Trump launched his quest to double his tally of Crucible crowns as he came through a tough test in the opening round of the Cazoo World Championship, beating Hossein Vafaei 10-4.
Trump was at a low ebb this time last year when he lost to Anthony McGill in the first round, having failed to win a ranking event all season. But in 2023/24 his fortunes have been transformed, landing a bumper haul of five ranking titles as well as reaching three more finals. He has rivalled Ronnie O'Sullivan as player of the season, and the pair are rated favourites for the £500,000 top prize in Sheffield.
Bristol's world number two Trump won his only Crucible title in 2019 and is looking to join the elite group of six players to lift the trophy more than once at the Theatre of Dreams. World number 19 Vafaei could have been a difficult early test. But 34-year-old Trump, while not at his best, was on top from the early stages and never looked back.
He led 6-3 after the first session, making breaks of 63, 66, 72, 56 and 77. Vafaei took the first frame today before Trump dominated the next two for 8-4.
In frame 13, Vafaei trailed 57-0 then had a chance to clear, but failed to pot the penultimate red to a top corner, playing left-handed rather than using the rest. Trump punished him to go five up with six to play, and he could have wrapped up the tie in the 14th, but failed to gain position on the final pink. Vafaei took pink and black for 9-5, but there was no spark of a fight-back as Trump's 43 helped him win frame 15.
"It was a tough draw though I have always played well against Hossein and I enjoy playing him," said Trump, who will face Tom Ford or Ricky Walden next. "I made some good clearances in the first session and that helped put the match to bed. I didn't want to go out in the first round two years in a row.
"I have come here with a lot of confidence, after such a good season. It's nice to feel part of the tournament now and I can get excited about the second round. I can watch everyone else stress out, I love this event and I'll watch a lot of matches on TV.
"I haven't decided yet whether to go back to Bristol before my next game, I will speak to my brother and we will decide. In a way it's nice to be around Sheffield and to feel the buzz in the city."
Meanwhile, Shaun Murphy pulled away from 3-3 to take a 6-3 advantage over Lyu Haotian. Murphy fired breaks of 53, 71, 90 and 111.