‘You have to earn it!’ - Judd Trump has no sympathy for Kyren Wilson after ‘naked’ jibe at English Open

ByMarcus Foley

Updated 01/11/2021 at 18:42 GMT

Kyren Wilson has threatened to play naked in an attempt to get on to the match table. The world number five beat Noppon Saengkham 4-0 on table 2 early on Monday, calling the slot the "graveyard shift". However, after his win against Matthew Selt on the main table, world number one Judd Trump told Wilson he had to earn the right to be a star attraction.

Judd Trump has told Kyren Wilson he needs to earn the right to play on the match table.

World number five Wilson began his English Open campaign at 10:00 on Monday on table 2, and ran in runs of 68 and 129 in a 4-0 win against Noppon Saengkham. He referred to it as the "graveyard shift" and asked what he had to do to get on the match table.

The comments were put to 2019 world champion Trump by Eurosport presenter Rachel Casey after his 4-1 success against Matthew Selt. However, when asked whether the Kettering cueist had a point, Trump was emphatic in his response, telling Wilson he has to start winning tournaments.

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“No, not really, because I was in his position for eight or nine years until I became world champion and won all the events,” began Trump.

“I was doing exactly what he was doing. And I felt like I was hard done by Ronnie [O’Sullivan], Mark Selby and everyone who was on that match table. I'd be the player on table three at the back.

You have to earn it, you've got to win the world championship, you got to be number one, you have to get up there.

“Otherwise, you're kind of relying on the other players not playing at the same time as you. So unless he wins the big events, he's not probably going to be there."

It was an emphatic response from Trump.

“I was going to ask if you have any sympathy but clearly not with that answer,” concluded presenter Casey.

Defending English Open champion Trump ran out a 4-1 winner against Selt earlier on Monday, producing some typically dazzling snooker. The pick of his play was an excellent long red in frame three.

‘Another absolute humdinger’ – Trump makes statement as he begins English Open defence

The shot left Phil Studd and Neal Foulds waxing lyrical on Eurosport commentary. Studd led the praise:

There is another absolute humdinger of a red from Trump.

"Look at the action he got on the cue ball! In the end too much from a positional point of view.

Neal Foulds added that, while the shot didn't leave Trump on a colour, it still gave him control of the table.

“Yeah, it was well struck, that, wasn't it? And whatever way you look at it, he's got the advantage,” said Foulds.

So either way, it's in his favour so that's a great pot.

“It's a measure of his cue power, isn't it that he can draw the cue ball back that far, with that amount of distance between cue and object ball,” said Studd.

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