Judd Trump leads Ronnie O'Sullivan 5-3 in the final of the Northern Ireland Open having dominated a scrappy opening session in Milton Keynes.
In a repeat of the 2018 and 2019 finals of this event, we were promised fireworks and a blockbuster encounter, but have so far witnessed a disjointed match in which neither player has been able to find their best form.
O'Sullivan looked in big danger of seeing his title hopes slip away for a third year in a row when Trump forged into 4-1 and 5-2 leads, but to his credit, the Rocket kept battling away despite cutting a frustrated figure for most of the afternoon, and he finished with a fabulous break of 130 to ensure he will head into tonight's final session with some much-needed momentum and with his opponent not yet out of reach.
Trump won the first two frames with a high break of 55, but O'Sullivan did have opportunities to counter in both after the reigning champion had displayed a few early signs of weakness.
O'Sullivan was again in first in the third frame, but it was already apparent that he, too, was finding things a real struggle and he needed two huge flukes after Trump had threatened to pick his pocket to finally get up and running.
A much-more assured run of 69 in frame four finally saw Trump look more like himself and after the next two frames were shared, the world number one appeared to have taken control of the match with a fabulous 128 in frame seven.
However, with his back pressed firmly against the wall, O'Sullivan came back swinging in the final frame of the afternoon and despite looking a little shaky early in the break, soon found his grove to respond with a century of his own, a sublime hand of 130 that hinted the blockbuster we had been promised might still come to pass.
