Judd Trump piled in four centuries as he demolished Hossein Vafaei 5-0 in just 64 minutes in the quarter-finals of the World Grand Prix, stepping up his bid to make 100 tons in a single season.
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Vafaei is suffering from a spinal injury but even at full fitness there would surely have been little he could have done against an unstoppable Trump. The Iranian scored just 31 points as his opponent produced a break-building masterclass.
World number one Trump, resident in Hong Kong for much of the past year, lived up to his star billing and thrilled his fans as he set up a semi-final on Saturday night with Stuart Bingham, who came from 4-2 down to beat Mark Selby 5-4. Trump is chasing a fourth trophy of the season and 31st ranking title of his career.
With 84 centuries this season, 35-year-old Trump needs just 16 more to reach three figures for 2024/25. The first player to achieve that will earn a £100,000 bonus, and he is also chasing the all-time record of 103, set by Neil Robertson during the 2013/14 campaign.
He set the tone today with a 145 total clearance, then won a fragmented second frame. Vafaei had his only real scoring opportunity at the start of frame three but made just 24, and had to watch his opponent make 108 for 3-0. Trump followed up with 115 in the fourth, and saved his best until last with a fabulous 146 in the fifth, the new target for the £10,000 high break prize.
"I settled down straight away and played with confidence," said Trump after reaching his 67th ranking semi-final. "Hossein missed one or two balls but I played solid and scored very well. It's nice to have the crowd getting behind me and cheering for me. I'm proud to have been given the opportunity to represent them because I have always been an advocate for Hong Kong and I love it here. This event had a great field at the start of the week and the top players have been able to get through to the final weekend to showcase what they can do."
Despite suffering from the 'yips', Bingham kept his best run of the season going with a tremendous win over four-time World Champion Selby. Prior to this week, Bingham hadn't won a knock-out match in a ranking event since the BetVictor Scottish Open in December. He lost 5-1 to Chris Totten in the qualifying round of the Weide Cup World Open, 5-0 to Thepchaiya Un-Nooh in the first round of the Machineseeker German Masters and 4-0 to Robbie Williams in the opening round of the BetVictor Welsh Open.
But the 2015 Crucible king's game has clicked this week and he has enjoyed victories over Mark Williams, Wu Yize and Selby. The 48-year-old from Basildon is into his 24th ranking semi-final and is hoping to win a seventh title. If he beats Trump he will move into the top 16 of the Johnstone's Paint One-Year Rankings and qualify for the Sportsbet.io Players Championship, at the expense of fellow Essex pro Ali Carter.
A break of 116 gave Bingham the opening frame before Selby levelled with a 75. World number 23 Bingham regained the lead and made 65 in the next only for Selby to clear with 71 for 2-2. That looked to have swung the tie in Selby's favour as he added runs of 75 and 96 for 4-2. But the Leicester cueman barely had a chance in the last three frames as Bingham dominated the closing stages. A run of 47 left him in control of the decider and Selby's attempts to gain snooker were in vain.
"I was fighting against myself, jabbing all over the place," admitted Bingham. "That has crept into my game this season, I have no pause (on the backswing of the cue action). Luckily the balls still went in and it was a great win. I had the same a few years ago, then it disappeared, and it has come back this season. It's hard to take anything from that game, though I should be elated to reach the semis.
"I'll try to take the positives but it felt horrible. I have had matches where I am just not enjoying it. I have been working with a hypnotherapist called Chris O'Connor, who has also helped Kyren Wilson. We are working on trying to finish the backswing and then stop, but I'm still snatching at shots."