The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Trump still yearning for Rocket final
Judd Trump cruised into the quarterfinals of the World Snooker Championship for the fourth straight year and admitted it would be a “shame” if he finished his career without landing a dream Crucible final against Ronnie O’sullivan.
O’sullivan’s shock second-round loss to Scot Anthony Mcgill scuppered hopes of a first final clash between the game’s leading stars, but Trump, who returned to polish off opponent Dave Gilbert with a 13-8 victory, believes it can still happen in future.
Trump said: “It would be a shame if it didn’t happen, but it’s so hard.
“He’s been to so many finals already and I’m still progressing, and hopefully over the next few years we’ll time it right. It would be amazing if it did happen, for snooker and ourselves.”
O’sullivan reverted to punditry duties after losing his final frame decider against Mcgill, and immediately backed Trump to build on his solitary title win in 2019 and finish his career with five world crowns to his name.
Trump, who will face Shaun Murphy, a 13-7 winner over Yan Bingtao, in the last eight, said: “I’d take another one at this time, it is so hard to win. But we have got a lot of respect for each other so any time he says something complimentary, you’ve got to take it.”
Resuming with a virtually unassailable 11-5 overnight lead, Trump could afford to let slip the opening two frames of the day before a break of 107 in the final frame steered him in the direction of a relatively routine success.
With six former world champions in this year’s quarter-finals, Trump is all too aware he will need to tighten up his game if he is to take at least one step closer to the career tally predicted for him by O’sullivan.
“I didn’t play my absolute best but you don’t want to be playing your best at this stage of the tournament,” added Trump.
“It’s hopefully similar to the previous events I’ve won this season – playing decent for the first few games and saving my best for last.”
Stuart Bingham compiled two centuries as he reeled off the three frames required to seal a 13-6 win over Jamie Jones and book his place back in the last eight for the first time since he won the title in 2015.
Bingham, who was forced to battle through two rounds of qualifying after dropping out of the world’s top 16, is now playing arguably his best snooker since he was a surprise winner of the title, and will next face Mcgill for a place in the semi-finals.
Murphy reached the last eight for the first time since he was runner-up to Stuart Bingham in 2015 by seeing off Masters champion Yan.
Mark Selby completed the quarter-final line-up by finishing off a 13-7 win over Mark Allen last night.
Selby, who suffered a heartbreaking semi-final defeat by O’sullivan in last year’s event, will meet John Higgins’ conqueror Mark Williams for a place in the semis.
The three-time champion took a 9-6 lead into last night’s session and wasted little time in seeing off his Northern Irish opponent with a 132 break in the 19th frame.