Defending champion Judd Trump (WS 2nd) narrowly avoided elimination against Kyren Wilson (WS 9th) in the opening round of the Masters snooker tournament.
Trump allowed his opponent to take a quick 3-0 lead, but then won five games in a row and took a 5-3 lead in the match. Wilson then fought back to tie it 5-5 and had a great chance to seal the win in the decider, but his shot fell short and Trump was able to tip the scales in his favor.
“It was a rather strange match. One moment I was fighting for survival, then Kyren made an incredible comeback to equalize. In the last match chassisI felt quite nervous. I couldn’t even find my praise. I thought I was going home, but at that moment Kyren took a risky shot that, fortunately for me, missed,” Trump said.
“You might think that as an experienced athlete I can overcome nervous tension without problems, but here [Mastersil] or playing in the World Cup is still completely different. You just don’t want to get knocked out in the first round,” the winner added.
Trump, seeded first in the tournament, will meet Ali Carter (WS 10th) in the quarterfinals, who defeated three-time world champion Mark Williams (WS 8th) 6:4 in the opening round.
In addition to Trump and Carter, Barry Hawkins (WS 15th) also reached the top eight, beating Neil Robertson (WS 7th) with a score of 6:3. In the quarter-finals he will meet world number one Ronnie O’Sullivan.
The final quarter-final pair will be determined on Wednesday, when Mark Selby (WS 4th) – Robert Milkins (WS 14th) and Mark Allen (WS 3rd) – John Higgins (WS 12th) face each other.
2024-01-10 11:56:00
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