English Open 2021 - Judd Trump not at his best but has enough in tank to see off Steven Hallworth to reach last-16
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Updated 03/11/2021 at 23:29 GMT
Judd Trump is bidding to win the English Open for the second time, having beaten Neil Robertson in dramatic circumstances last year. He opened his challenge with a win over Matthew Selt and followed up against Steven Hallworth. He booked his passage to the last 16 with a 4-1 win at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes.
'How many players would have played that shot?' - Trump digs himself out of awkward green
Judd Trump overcame some sloppy moments to beat Steven Hallworth 4-1 and book his ticket into the last-16 of the English Open.
The 32-year-old is looking to retain the title he won in dramatic fashion last year, and he was last on the main table at the Marshall Arena on Wednesday having seen big rivals Ronnie O’Sullivan and Neil Robertson deliver impressive wins earlier in the day.
The performance in beating Hallworth was not as impressive as O’Sullivan’s century barrage against Michael Georgiou, but it was a win hinting at more in the tank as he seeks his 23rd ranking title.
Taking on the world number one, the plan is to not make mistakes. Hallworth did not follow that script as he gifted Trump two bites at the cherry to take the opening frame.
It was a similar story in the second, with Trump more clinical on this occasion - as he rolled in a superb break of 87.
The errors came from the arm of Trump in the third frame. Hallworth has been off and on the main tour, but he possesses decent quality - as he demonstrated with a long yellow and excellent pink. Both balls carried pressure as had he missed them he would have let Trump in for a counter, but he sank them to cut the deficit.
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'Brilliant shot' - Trump nails superb plant
Trump has become a winning machine in recent seasons, but he remains intent on wowing the crowds with spectacular shotmaking.
He delivered a jaw-droppingly impressive shot in the fourth frame. It looked like he had slipped out of position as the cue ball came to rest near the green pocket. There did not appear an obvious shot to keep the break alive, but he powered the green into the left middle and had enough side on the ball to split the reds.
After sinking the audacious green, it came as a surprise that Trump missed - but a sloppy positional shot resulted in him missing a red and letting in Hallworth for a counter. The underdog got himself back in the frame with a break of 54, but he ran out of position when attempting to land on the final red.
A tense safety battle followed on the colours. Trump had the edge in the exchange, and he eventually forced a mistake from Hallworth on the blue. He knocked in three pots of the highest class on the blue, pink and black to steady the nerves and move 3-1 ahead.
Being exceptionally good is an advantage at any walk of life. Being fortunate also has its benefits, and Trump had a huge slice of luck with a fluked red at the start of the fifth frame. He did not fully cash in, but got a further slice of fortune when Hallworth fouled a red and it helped the defending champion book his passage to a clash with Ross Muir in the last-16.
Earlier, Neil Robertson battled back from 1-0 and 2-1 down to beat Sunny Akani 4-2.
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