Judd Trump praises Champion of Champions amid snooker 'Triple Crown' debate - 'Very close to the Masters'
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ByEurosport
Published 14/11/2023 at 09:09 GMT
Judd Trump claimed his second Masters title with a 10-8 win over Mark Williams in January, but the world No. 2 believes the elite Champion of Champions tournament in Bolton is on a similar level as the celebrated Alexandra Palace event. Trump and John Higgins have both expressed the belief that the Champion of Champions and Tour Championship should be recognised as major events in the sport.
‘He is going to have to win four world titles’ - O’Sullivan on what Trump must do to be a great
Judd Trump has opened up the ongoing debate surrounding the standing of snooker's self-styled 'Triple Crown series' by comparing the elite Champion of Champions event to the Masters.
Former world champions Trump and John Higgins have both questioned why the Masters and UK Championship have been held up alongside the World Championship as part of a revised modern major set over the past decade when other blue-chip events carry similar prestige.
Higgins is adamant that the season-ending Tour Championship is bigger than the UK Championship, while Trump feels the elite 16-player Champion of Champions in Bolton is on a similar level to the invitational Masters in London.
2021 Champion of Champions winner Trump lifted his second Masters title with a 10-8 win over Mark Williams in January.
Speaking ahead of his Champion of Champions opener against women's world champion Baipat Siripaporn on Thursday, Trump is quoted by the Metro newspaper as saying: "I think everyone loves the Champion of Champions, it’s very close to the Masters.
"The Masters being in Ally Pally, the crowd in London is a little bit better, but otherwise the Champion of Champions is almost there.
"It’s trying to gain its own identity, staying away from other tournaments and trying to do its own thing.
"It’s a tournament I seem to have done better in as I’ve got older and I’ve recognised how big it is, the way it’s run, the way you’re treated in that event, it all makes for a better standard."
Meanwhile, Ronnie O'Sullivan feels Trump should focus his attention on adding to his 2019 World Championship success amid his run to consecutive title wins at the English, Wuhan and Northern Ireland Opens.
"You have to put him up there. He's won a lot of ranking events. He's won a lot of tournaments, a lot of finals, he's played consistently very well," said O'Sullivan on Eurosport.
"But for Judd now, for him to get really up there with the all-time greats, he's going to have to win four world titles."
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Trump has previously told Eurosport why the idea of snooker majors does not work in the modern era which sees the winner of the World Championship earn £500,000 – double the amount for winning the Masters or UK Championship in York.
The World Championship also remains the most punishing test of any tournament on the calendar and continues to carry the biggest rewards and prestige.
While the winner of the 17-day World Championship needs to win 71 frames over five matches at the Crucible, the UK Championship has been reduced in size and stature.
It was once played over the best-of-17 frames with the final contested over the best-of-33 frames until it reverted to a shortened format after 1992 and a shorter format beyond 2010.
The Masters remains the best-of-11 frames until a best-of-19-frame final.
"Like the ranking system, that is another thing that doesn’t quite work," he said. "You need three or four tournaments of the same prize money at least for the idea of snooker majors to work."
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