Trump Eases To Brecel Win

New World Grand Prix Champion Judd Trump kept his fine form going with a 4-0 thrashing of Luca Brecel in the first round of the Players Championship in Thailand.

Trump beat Ronnie O’Sullivan in the World Grand Prix final in Llandudno last Sunday before flying to Bangkok. And he showed no signs of fatigue as he beat Belgium’s Brecel with a top break of 71 to reach the last 16.

“I played well and Luca didn’t, so in the end it was convincing,” said Trump, who now meets Mark King. “I need to play better next time.”

Home favourite Thepchaiya Un-Nooh suffered an early exit as he went down 4-1 to Mark Williams. In-form Williams knocked in breaks of 106, 73, 81 and 57.

Masters champion Shaun Murphy scored a 4-2 victory over Rod Lawler. From 1-0 down, Murphy won three frames in a row with top breaks of 93 and 69. Lawler pulled one back before Murphy sealed the result with a run of 76.

“Rod was unlucky today, on another day he might have won,” admitted Murphy. “I’m trying my best, I have won this title before and I’m trying to win it again. I always enjoy coming to Thailand, the people are very friendly and they love snooker.”

World Champion Mark Selby cruised to a 4-0 win over Dominic Dale with a top run of 79 while Martin Gould edged out Indian Open champion Michael White 4-3 with a crucial 55 in the decider.

Mark Davis – who has won two Six-Red World title in Bangkok – saw off Ricky Walden 4-2 with a top break of 74. Stuart Bingham produced a fine display to beat Alan McManus 4-1, compiling runs of 94, 61, 69 and 58.

Scotland’s Anthony McGill beat Peter Ebdon 4-1, winning the last four frames with a top break of 60. “It’s a great win for me because Peter is a former World Champion,” said McGill, who now meets Joe Perry. “I played pretty well apart from missing a few easy pots. My safety was very good and I felt in control.

“The second frame was a turning point because I could have gone 2-0 down. I’m going to be the underdog tomorrow but I’ll give it my best. There’s no one here I can’t beat, but there’s no one who can’t beat me.”