Champion of Champions 2021 as it happened - Ruthless Judd Trump whitewashes Kyren Wilson to ease into final
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Updated 19/11/2021 at 22:01 GMT
We’re into the business end of the Champion of Champions as the semi-finals take centre-stage in Bolton. World number two Judd Trump swept aside Kyren Wilson to confrim his place in Sunday's final where he will face the winner of Yan Bingtao and John Higgins – conqueror of Ronnie O’Sullivan on Thursday – who play on Saturday.
'Who would have played that?!' - Trump shot delights commentators
That'll do us
We're done for the evening, thanks for your company. Join us again from 6.45pm tomorrow for John Higgins versus Yan Bingtao in the second semi-final.
Trump speaks
'I haven't played anything special,' is his frank assessment of his week so far. Given that he's taken out everyone in his path with what he calls his B/C game it just highlights the frightening levels he's capable of reaching. There were no centuries tonight, and Trump's now rock solid safety and tactical game tied Wilson in knots that he couldn't undo. He's such a rounded player now, and will be a huge favourite whoever he plays on Sunday.
Judd Trump is through to the Champion of Champions final
That one will bruise Wilson. Trump has now won 16 frames in a row in Bolton, backing up his whitewash of Ryan Day earlier in the week by nilling his great rival Kyren tonight. He's never won this tournament, and he looks locked right in to his efforts to win it this year. In many ways, this match resembled the one between John Higgins and Ronnie O'Sullivan; when you turn up not quite on it, this is what can happen against the world's best. The fifth frame was the only possible lifeline for Wilson, but even that was pinched out from under his nose. Trump marches on, and will face either John Higgins or Yan Bingtao on Sunday.
Trump 6-0 Wilson
We're done. Trump calmly rolls the final red along the rail and into the bottom right, and frame ball black follows. He naughty snookers the colours up to the pink, and he's through to the final.
Trump 5-0 Wilson (52-38)
Trump clears the awkward blue out of the cluster of reds to get it back on its spot, and this is looking ominous for Wilson. Can a red on the bottom cushion bail him out here? Trump completes the half-ton and takes the lead in the frame, and he's only a few shots away...
Trump 5-0 Wilson (15-38)
On 38 Wilson ventures into the pack. How's his luck? Terrible, as he's on nish and can only play safe. 'Come on Judd!' shouts someone who presumably fancies getting to a pub in Bolton well before last knockings. He may get his wish, as a heavy safety from Wilson leaves an easy red to the yellow pocket, and he's off and running again.
Trump 5-0 Wilson (0-30)
Trump misses a long red to the bottom right, and he's left it on for Wilson. Can he prolong this argument for a frame at least? Wilson's chipped off 30 and counting, and this is a decent chance to get the nil away from his name.
Trump 5-0 Wilson
A disaster here for Wilson, as he escapes the same snooker at the second attempt but watches aghast as the white drifts off the green and into the bottom right. With the green a gimme from the D, this looks done with. Trump pots green, brown and blue and then rolls the pink over the bottom left, snookering Wilson behind the black to boot. Wilson escapes but he's left the pink on; it duly disappears, and Trump is one frame away from the final.
Trump 4-0 Wilson (47-49)
After some tense tap and nudge safety on the yellow, Wilson leaves it on to the bottom right and Trump drills in. The green, welded to the upper right rail, wasn't on thereafter but as in play now. The black soon joins it as the safety barrage continues, and it looks a green ball frame from here. We've been going nearly half an hour now, and Wilson serves up five to Trump after failing to get out of a snooker and catching the blue. Not much in it now, this will be a huge one to win or lose.
Trump 4-0 Wilson (40-49)
We're into a long, tense safety exchange from which Trump picks up twelve points in snookers to change the whole dynamic of the frame. Then hello, what's this? With his next attempt at a two cushion escape from behind the yellow, Wilson connects with the red and sends it softly into the right middle! What a touch. It goes the way of the pear on the next shot though, as he misses the green and soon find himself in another brutal snooker behind the brown. It's the colours for the frame, and we could be here a while.
Trump 4-0 Wilson (28-48)
Yikes, how big will this prove; with awkward bridging, Wilson misses a slightly off-straight black off it's spot, and his best break of the night judders to a halt. If Trump nicks this one, it's as good as lights out, surely. He begins his response, inclusive off two tough reds snicked along the rail into either bottom corner, but it's tough with pink and black stuck on the left rail. The break is 21, but Trump then gambles on trying to thump in the second to last red. It jaws out and lands over the bottom right for Wilson, who picks it off and then lays a snooker on the sole remaining red.
Trump 4-0 Wilson (7-24)
Anything left in the tank Kyren? He breaks off to start frame five, from which Trump duly thrashes a long red into the bottom left. It only yields seven though, and a wild thrash at a later red from Trump hands Wilson an easy starter. Can he get something going here? Wilson clears the black spot quickly, and this is a promising chance, 24 and counting so far. He rarely gets fazed, Wilson, which is just as well given the circumstances.
Trump 4-0 Wilson
There's a brief scare for Trump as he lands the white on the left rail, but he calmly drops the black deadweight into the right middle to land on his next red. The half-century arrives and he's soon over the winning line, making 82 to go into the break with the maximum possible advantage.
We'll be back with you in 15 minutes.
Trump 3-0 Wilson (50-2)
Trump takes a chance on position when potting a red, kabooming into another as he does so, but the white lands on the pink and this is a big chance to go into the interval four up. All reds are in play now, and he's in complete control.
Trump 3-0 Wilson (32-2)
In the safety exchange that follows Trump pokes a red out over the bottom right, which Wilson gobbles up but again can't land on a colour to get going here. More safety shots are traded, before Trump hoses in a long red down the left of the table to land on the black. That goes too, and a crucial frame is suddenly at his mercy. The black has to go on the blue spot but the pink is on to both corners and there are plenty of reds on; this is bother for Wilson.
Trump 3-0 Wilson (9-1)
There's no respite for Wilson in the fourth. He catches the blue with a safety shot, leaving Trump a mid to long range red into the bottom right. It fair rockets into the middle of the pocket, with the cue ball backspinning furiously up for the green. He can only make nine from this particular opening, and when he misses a tight red down the rail to the bottom right a few shots later it leaves Wilson a red to left middle. That is duly dispatched, but Wilson can't add to it and he's still cold in this match.
Trump 3-0 Wilson
Wilson fires back, clipping in a red as a shot to nothing and then laying a snooker while simultaneously bringing the yellow in to play. There's one red left out there, and Wilson needs that, a blue or higher and the colours for victory. For Trump, this final red is frame ball. Wilson catches a safety too thick, and serves up a shot at it for Trump to the right middle. It's in, the frame is soon secured and Trump is halfway to the final.
Trump 2-0 Wilson (50-17)
With all four remaining reds plus pink and black near the bottom cushion, Wilson plays an aggressive safety to bring balls into play. It backfires; Trump is left with a long red to the bottom right, and in it goes. The sequence ends with red-brown-red as Trump can't get conveniently on the pink, but he plays another telling safety instead. He is bossing this so far.
Trump 2-0 Wilson (44-17)
Trump banks a crucial 30, before stunning in one red to shift another but that only leaves a very awkward pink. He turns it down, wisely playing back to baulk, and with four reds left a 27 point lead on this mess of a table is more than useful.
Trump 2-0 Wilson (26-17)
It's a tough ask to keep the break going for Wilson, but a superb long blue to the yellow pocket does exactly that. He's missed the follow up red though, bringing Trump back to the table. It's not easy out there, with pink and black out of commission for now, and lots of reds in awkward positions. Trump is methodically taking his score north though, to increase the pressure on Wilson.
Trump 2-0 Wilson (13-1)
Wilson breaks off, and although it's early he might be a touch stunned by that; you could've boiled an egg to that last frame. Trump's off again, gliding in a long red to bottom left, and he's on the pink. My word, Trump's in the mood tonight. He's into the pack good and early again, but is this a window for Wilson? Trump misses a red across the table and into the bottom right, ending his break on 13. That leaves Wilson a mid-range red to the yellow pocket, which he plugs to land on the brown.
Trump 2-0 Wilson
The break curtails on 88, but it's more than enough for the frame. This is some start, and Wilson needs to plant a foot in this match sharpish.
Trump 1-0 Wilson (76-0)
There goes frame ball red, followed by the black. There could be a big ton incoming, this is mesmerising from Trump.
Trump 1-0 Wilson (60-0)
Ominous from Trump here. He thunders a long red into the green pocket to stay on the black, which he then pots and explodes the pack open perfectly. That's a great shot; the maxi's off as he needs to head up for the blue, but he's coasting here and is nearly over the winning line and we've only been going a few minutes.
Trump 1-0 Wilson (32-0)
It's just not happening for Wilson yet. From Trump's break-off he tries a long, deadweight red into the bottom right but it jaws out, and Trump picks it off to land on the black. That wasn't easy, along the rail to the bottom left, but it's in and he's off. It's four reds and four blacks so far.
Trump 1-0 Wilson
The final black launches off the table as Trump tries to naughty snooker it into the bottom right. No matter, he's one to the good.
Trump 0-0 Wilson (58-9)
Wilson gets a red and pink away, but the final five reds are all awkward and this one is bogged down. Wilson almost breaks the deadlock with a long red to the yellow pocket, but it spits out and lands over the green pocket. Trump mops it up, and a mini-break will secure him the frame. He brings the third to last red out to leave it on to the bottom right, and follows it with the brown; another red follows, and this bitty frame is going to Trump.
Trump 0-0 Wilson (42-2)
Wilson bullets in a long red to get in, topspinning through it to land on the black. It's a chance, but he misses said black to the bottom left and he's absolutely served this one up for Trump. It's a great chance, until Trump makes a complete hash of his positional shot on a colour and can only play safe off the black, nixing his efforts at 15.
Trump 0-0 Wilson (27-1)
After a cagey start Trump leaves Wilson a thin red to the right middle. It goes, but he can't follow it up with the brown and he's left Trump in. It's not easy, with the reds clustered tightly and the black having to go on the pink spot, but he gambles early on opening the reds and the picks off the brown to come back down the table. That only leaves a preposterous plant - the two reds are at least two feet apart and not in line - but Trump takes it on. It misses, by a long way, but it was played with safety in mind and he's not left anything.
Here we go
Our MC Tahir Hajat gets the night going, introducing the players one by one. Wilson steps in first, then Trump; best of 11 then for a place in the final.
Head to head
They’ve had some huge tussles to date – a Shanghai Masters final, here in the Champion of Champions, and also at the Masters and the Crucible. Throughout all that Trump has the slight edge, 13-11.
The Warrior
Kyren’s route was a shade tougher. After besting Welsh Open champion Jordan Brown 4-2, he then reached the last four with an impressive display against Neil Robertson, beating the Thunder 6-4 with heavy breaks to win the last three on the spin. He lost the final of this event in a decider to O’Sullivan in 2018 and could bag the biggest cheque of his career to date if he goes one better on Sunday.
Judd
He’s been in a feisty mood this season. Trump wasn’t at all impressed with being manoeuvred out of the world number one spot by the ranking system this season, and then went and called it on with Ronnie O’Sullivan by questioning his aura earlier this week. That needle will have to be addressed on another day, and Trump arrives in this semi-final in red hot form. He beat world seniors champion David Lilley 4-1 in his opening group match before obliterating Ryan Day 6-0 that evening.
Good evening!
Welcome back to the 2021 Champion of Champions in Bolton. Under the Friday night lights in Greater Manchester tonight we’ve got the first of our semi-finals, and it sees fire versus ice. Judd Trump will take on Kyren Wilson shortly for a place in the final on Sunday.
There have been verbals between the two in the past but this has not settled into your common or garden rivalry. Both players want the same thing, and in the Bolton Whites Hotel tonight that means a swing at the £150,000 prize and the Champion of Champions Trophy this weekend. It should be a belter, so settle in.
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'It's not me he's got to worry about' – O’Sullivan says he is not Higgins’ biggest threat
Ronnie O’Sullivan says he is not John Higgins’ biggest threat to future success as the Scot beat the six-time world champion 6-1 at the Champion of Champions.
The win for Higgins saw him set up a semi-final showdown with Yan Bingtao. The resounding victory comes just a matter of weeks after the 46-year-old said following his English Open final defeat against Neil Robertson.
O’Sullivan showered his opponent with praise after their clash, saying the Scot was too good on the night, but added that it was now younger players – such as Yan – rather than himself that provided a greater threat to Higgins adding further titles to his already impressive haul.
"He was too good, and I didn't do enough when I had chances," said O'Sullivan.
I was missing so many balls.
"He always seems to play good stuff against me. I know I need to be at my best, and I wasn't tonight. I missed a few opportunities, but I don't think I was cueing well enough tonight,” added O’Sullivan.
The six-time world champion was asked whether he thought Higgins could win more titles after the Scot claimed he had “not really got it at this level” after his defeat to Robertson earlier in November.
"You'd think so, but it's going to be a different game against Yan,” added O’Sullivan.
It's the younger ones that have got nothing to lose, they're the hard games. It's not me he's got to worry about, it's the others. He's got to do it against them if he's going to start winning titles.
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Higgins: ‘I’ve not really got it at this level’
'I know if I play to my best, I'll win' - Trump
Judd Trump admits he is desperate to add the Champion of Champions trophy to his burgeoning haul of snooker silverware.
The 2019 world champion has lifted 22 ranking titles and the Masters, but has yet to claim the coveted prize with defeats to Ronnie O'Sullivan (10-7) in 2014 and Neil Robertson (10-9) in 2019 narrowly denying him at the final hurdle.
Trump looks in the mood to go one better this week in the race for the £150,000 top prize in Bolton as he followed up a 4-1 win over world seniors champion David Lilley with a 6-0 whitewash of Ryan Day on Monday night that included breaks of 104, 67, 68, 52 and 61.
"This event is special because when you look down at all the winners, it is always the big names that have won this," said the world number two.
"I think Mark Allen produced a great standard in (winning) the last final, you've seen some great finals with Ronnie and the final with me and Neil was a good one.
"I need to top that this year and it is one I need to tick off the list. I'm trying to win every event on the calendar and this would be a real special one for me.
"I always enjoy coming to this event. It will be a dream of mine to win this event, but I can sit back, relax and know I'm coming back on Friday.
"I know if I play to my best, I'll win."
Semi-finals
November 19 - 19:00
19:00 - Judd Trump v Kyren Wilson
November 20 -19:00
19:00 - Yan Bingtao vs John Higgins
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