Judd Trump wins International Championship
World Champion Judd Trump, photo, produced a scintillating display to beat Shaun Murphy 10-3 and win the International Championship in Daqing.
The blistering nature of Trump’s victory confirms his current dominance of the sport. The 29-year-old was equally impressive in a 9-4 demolition of three-time World Champion Mark Selby in the semi-finals. Trump compiled 12 centuries in total across the week. This is the 12th ranking event victory of his career.
The Ace in the Pack had already secured a return to the world number one spot, deposing Ronnie O’Sullivan by reaching the quarter-finals. It is the first time he has topped the world rankings since March 2013. His place as world number one will now be solidified further after picking up the £175,000 top prize.
This was Trump’s first appearance on the circuit since winning a maiden world title back in May. Trump clinched the Crucible crown with a stunning 18-9 defeat of John Higgins. After his success this week he is now the first player in 11 years to win in his first outing after becoming World Champion. The last person to achieve the feat was Ronnie O’Sullivan at the 2008 Northern Ireland Trophy.
Defeat will be a difficult one for 2005 World Champion Murphy. However, he goes home with the consolation of £75,000. Murphy’s performance secured qualification for the upcoming Shanghai Masters. The top 16 in the world rankings at the end of this event get a place and Murphy’s position in that elite group had come under threat after a difficult season in 2018/19.
Trump said: “After the World Championship it was always going to be difficult. I went away and prepared as a World Champion should do. It is very easy to get a little bit carried away after winning at the Crucible and to drop off a little bit. So to get my foot back on the gas and win in the first event shows just how hard I’ve worked in the off season.
Murphy said: “It was very disappointing. I didn’t really feature in the game. Judd swamped me, that was how it felt. I was fighting against the tide the whole game. He is World Champion and world number one and today he played just like that. I made a few mistakes here or there, but we aren’t robots.”