Judd Trump survived a scare

Snooker results: Judd Trump wins marathon

By Sporting Life

Snooker

Wed November 16, 2022 · 3y ago

Judd Trump made a vital break of 88 in the deciding frame to beat Xiao Guodong 6-5 in marathon encounter at the Cazoo UK Championship.

Trump was far from his best in York and made several unforced errors, but at the crucial moment he took his chance to book a last 16 meeting with Shaun Murphy or David Gilbert.

The past eight months has been a barren spell for Trump as his last title came at the Turkish Masters in March, though he was runner-up to Ronnie O’Sullivan at the recent Cazoo Champion of Champions where he made a 147 in the final.

Just how the rest of the UK Championship pans out for him may depend on whether victory here sparks him into that sort of form, or reflects a player still searching for his best.

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“It was a battle out there,” said 2019 world champion Trump. “The conditions were tough so I’m just happy to get through. I saved my best until last, it was a good break, it was just about holding myself together.

“My record here is so bad that it’s important just to get through those kinds of games. They’re the ones that I have been losing to some of the lower ranked players. I know that I’m going to have to improve but I’m glad to have another chance and anything can happen in the next game.

“I just don’t ever play well here and I don’t know why it is. The only time recently that I have done well in this event was in Milton Keynes (in 2020).”

First blood to Xiao but Trump edges through

Xiao took the opening frame thanks to a fluke on the final brown. Trump responded with a 97 then Xiao regained the lead with a break of 118, but Trump again responded as a clever snooker allowed him to level the match at 2-2.

The fifth again came down to safety tussle on the brown, Xiao winning it to edge ahead for the third time but again Trump countered, before taking the seventh frame to lead the match for the first time.

A missed brown in the next allowed Xiao this time to level but now Trump was able to dictate things, leading again following a break of 60 and seemingly set to win the match before missing a tricky pink with the rest, his opponent responded with a fine half-century to force a decider.

Xiao continued to play aggressive snooker but finally it caught up with him, a risky plant leaving Trump a chance he took in nerveless fashion, breathing a sigh of relief as he avoided the fate suffered by the likes of Neil Robertson, Mark Williams and John Higgins.

"With his back firmly against the wall, he produced his best break in the whole match!"

Judd Trump does enough to get past Xiao Guodong.#CazooUKChampionship | @CazooUK pic.twitter.com/g1wIlj0hgR
— World Snooker Tour (@WeAreWST) November 15, 2022

Friends reunited in next round

Trump's good friend Jack Lisowski enjoyed a fair more straightforward afternoon as he swept into the second round, beating Xu Si 6-1 with breaks of 73, 83 and 66.

Gloucestershire’s Lisowski enjoyed perhaps the best win of his career at the end of last season when he beat Neil Robertson 13-12 at the Crucible to reach the World Championship quarter-finals. After a quiet start to the current campaign, he hopes he can bring his best again to the major stage.

"I was patient, played the right shots," said the 31-year-old. "There were no fireworks, but it was nice to win comfortably. I made a few good clearances and I think that made the difference. Lots of the seeds are out already, it’s very tough to beat these qualifiers sometimes. They’re coming in with a lot of momentum."

Seventh hell for Selby

Hossein Vafaei knocked Mark Selby out of the Cazoo UK Championship for the second consecutive year with a 6-4 victory, a result which means that seven of the top 16 seeds have lost in the first round in York.

Two-time champion Selby was handed a tough draw against Shoot Out champion Vafaei, and his hopes of adding to the titles he won in 2012 and 2016 came to an early end.

Selby joins Zhao Xintong, Neil Robertson, John Higgins, Mark Williams, Barry Hawkins and Yan Bingtao as the seeded players to be knocked out in the opening round in York.

“I am so pleased because I respect Mark a lot and he is such a tough opponent,” said 28-year-old Vafaei, who beat Selby 6-2 in the same event last year. “I stuck with him on the safety side. I have to say sorry to his fans – and I am one of them!”

Shaun Murphy avoided such a fate as he won the final two frames to edge past David Gilbert 6-5.