I was so determined not to lose the final, says champ Trump

JUDD Trump refused to lose his English Open epic against Neil Robertson and says a fear of finish line failure hauled him to a tenth consecutive win in ranking event finals.

The 2019 king of the Crucible toppled Robertson in a 9-8 classic to become the first player to scoop a hat-trick of Home Nations Series triumphs.

Victory in the decider also drew the world No 1 level with Mark Selby on consecutive wins in major finals, one behind the great Stephen Hendry who stands tall on 11.

Bristolian Trump, pictured, held his nerve to make a bold final-frame century and says the agonising prospect of defeat holds the key to his remarkable run.

“It’s a great stat to have and when you get to the final, you don’t want to be losing them,” the 31-year-old said.

“I just refuse to lose - I didn’t want to lose so much and it’s a horrible feeling after you’ve done all the hard work.

“It’s just determination, I know how important it is to get over the line when you get in that final, and the sense of achievement.

“It’s such a big step from losing in the final to winning an event - it’s a completely different feeling. I just have to dig deep whenever I’m out there and I did that again.

“It’s very important to keep that form going and the longer you can keep the run going then other people pay attention and falter at the winning line. It’s important for me to have that sense of belief that sometimes you can’t be beat, even when I was in trouble at 7-4 down.”

Trump, chasing an 18th ranking event title, held a 3-1 lead at the mid-session interval but a revitalised Robertson hit back as breaks of 75, 128 and 61 stunned Trump to reel him in. The pair went into the break between the sessions at four frames apiece but Robertson, the world No 3, came out a man on a mission once more, striking visits of 56, 75 and a majestic 114 to place him just two frames from victory, Trump showed all his steel, however, clinching the next three frames to restore parity before a 15th-frame break of 55 gave him an 8-7 lead.

A brilliant 125 from Robertson teed up a decider but Trump showed his steel as a clutch 125 gave him a tenth successive win in a major final.