World number one Judd Trump claimed his 14th win in 14 matches against Chris Wakelin, with a dramatic 5-4 victory to reach the semi-finals of the Wuhan Open.
Trump’s narrow triumph is also a continuation of his incredible record in Chinese events so far this season, where he has won 14 of 15 matches played. The only defeat on Chinese soil for Trump this term came against Kyren Wilson in the Xi’an Grand Prix final. He picked up the title at the Shanghai Masters.
The Ace in the Pack is gunning for a 30th piece of ranking silverware with victory this weekend and a third title of the season, having won the inaugural Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters.
Wakelin bows out after yet another heartbreaking defeat at the hands of Trump. He’s also suffered losses in the final at the Northern Ireland Open last year, as well as a deciding frame 10-9 reverse at the 2018 World Championship.
A dramatic final frame had looked to be going the way of Trump when he built a 51-0 advantage. Wakelin had a chance to steal, but could only muster 36 before clipping a baulk colour and missing out on ideal position on the second last red.
Eventually the frame came down to the colours, with Wakelin spurning a chance on the brown. Trump came to the table, developed the pink from a safe position and cleared to secure a nerve shredding win.
Earlier in the tie Wakelin had led 3-1 before being reeled back to 3-3. He claimed the seventh, but a break of 63 from Trump forced the decider, where he sealed yet another win over his fellow Englishman. He now faces China’s Si Jiahui in the last four.
“It was frustrating at times and especially in that last frame, where it looked like he was going to fluke a couple of balls and end up winning. In the end, I took my chance and played a really good shot on the brown to knock the pink out,” said 35-year-old Trump.
“You are just relying on your opponent to miss (in those situations). He did that in the last frame. There was a bit of pressure out there and he took his eye off the brown looking for an angle to get the pink out.
“I’m very impressed with Si Jiahui. He is very young in snooker terms and he has shot up the rankings in the last two years. For me he is possibly the best of all the young players. He is going to be around for a long time.”
Si earned a place in the fourth ranking semi-final of his career, after battling past Chinese compatriot Zhang Anda 5-3.
The talented 22-year-old now faces a repeat of this year’s German Masters final, where he went down 10-5.
Si has also appeared in semi-finals at this season’s Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters and the 2023 World Championship.
He crafted breaks of 83, 85 and 50 this evening to dispatch International Champion Zhang and make the last four.
Si said: “Both of us were a bit nervous for the whole game. We both really wanted to win. I’ve played him a few times before and have lost every time. When I face players with strong safety games, I often struggle. I pushed myself to play my own game today.
“I’m not worried about how strong my opponent is. If I play well, I can beat anyone. But if I don’t, I could lose even to lower ranked opponents. So the key is focusing on my own game.”