Judd Trump, aiming to win his fourth ranking title this season, goes into the concluding session of the Spreadex World Grand Prix final with a 5-3 lead over Ronnie O'Sullivan.
Trump led 4-0 in the early stages and may feel he should have finished the session with a greater advantage, as so far O'Sullivan has made numerous errors and shown only glimpses of the form which gave him a 6-1 victory over Ding Junhui on Saturday night. The final resumes at 7pm on Sunday evening, and first to ten frames will take the trophy and £100,000 top prize.
A break of 74 gave Trump the opening frame, then he added the second in three scoring visits. In the third, O'Sullivan led 52-40 when he ran out of position on the penultimate red, then his attempted safety went in-off and Trump punished him for 3-0. A run of 69 saw 34-year-old Trump complete a clean sweep in the first mini session.
After the interval, O'Sullivan got the better of a scrappy fifth frame, then compiled breaks of 54 and 60 to close to 4-2. In the seventh he missed a routine red on 28, and Trump's runs of 40 and 61 gave him a three-frame cushion. The scores were tied at 33-33 in the last of the session when O'Sullivan played a clever double on a red to a centre pocket, then converted a superb pot on the black, setting up a 63 clearance to leave the contest well poised.
These two kings of the baize have previously met 27 times, 48-year-old O'Sullivan holding a slender 14-13 lead in the head-to-head. This is their 13th final and the younger man has come up Trumps in seven of the previous 12, although O'Sullivan has won their last two finals - at the World Championship and Champion of Champions in 2022.
O'Sullivan is aiming to win this title for the third time having lifted the trophy in 2018 and 2021. He is playing in his 63rd ranking final and aiming for his 41st title, which would stretch his record to five ahead of Stephen Hendry's tally of 36. The Rocket has already lifted the trophy this season at the Shanghai Masters, UK Championship and the Masters, and victory today would bring his streak of consecutive match wins to 14.
Already well clear at the top of the official world rankings, having held the number one status since April 2022, O'Sullivan could extend his lead over Trump tonight if he takes the first prize. On the one-year list, Trump is sure to stay on top, with O'Sullivan second, whatever the result today.
Bristol's Trump is also aiming for his fourth trophy of the season, and he has appeared in the final of six of the 13 tournaments he has contested so far in 2023/24. The Ace in the Pack is playing in his 42nd ranking final and looking for his 27th title, which would leave him just one behind Steve Davis in fifth position on the all-time list. He is already the only player to have won the World Grand Prix three times, having lifted the trophy in 2015, 2019 and 2020.