Judd Trump made light work of Ding Junhui in their first-round meeting at the Masters, running out a comfortable 6-2 victor.
Trump, champion at Alexandra Palace in 2019 and 2023, is still to win a title this season, but kicked off the new year with a high-class display which suggests he won't be long in resuming winning ways.
Things might have been different had Ding won a tight opening frame, and he probably should have, given he held the upper hand on a number of occasions in a tense safety exchange with the final three reds remaining.
However, Trump came out on top, and he wasn't for catching thereafter, reeling off breaks of 116, 69, 54, 88, 117 and 109 to saunter into the last eight.
To his credit, Ding did rally from 3-0 down to get back to 3-2, frame five won from 54 points behind and confirming the 2011 Masters winner to be up for the fight.
But he needed more than just fight against Trump who lived up to his nickname and held all the aces, signing off with back-to-back centuries to make it three for the afternoon, in the process firing warning shots to the rest of the Masters field.
Give Judd Trump a chance and he’ll punish you with a century 💪
— WST (@WeAreWST) January 14, 2026
The World No.1 has raced out of the blocks against Ding Junhui…#TheMasters | @JohnstonesUK pic.twitter.com/XAHFE6TBPI
Trump's victory kept up the remarkable of sequence of scorelines this week, with every match so far returning a 6-2 verdict, something that continued in the evening as Neil Robertson brushed aside Chris Wakelin.
An upbeat Trump told World Snooker Tour afterwards: "It was a good performance. I didn't do a lot wrong.
"I started well then Ding was back in it at 3-2, so I was happy to find some momentum and make good breaks.
"In the last six weeks I have been confident with my cue, and had a lot of good performances.
"When I have played decent, I have made it hard for my opponents.
"In the last few finals I have fallen short and not played to the same standard, so next time I have to find that fire when I get to a final."
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