Gibraltar Open snooker 2021: 'Think I might owe him a drink' – Judd Trump toasts £150,000 bonus

ByEurosport

Updated 06/03/2021 at 12:04 GMT

Judd Trump admits he owes Chris Wakelin "a drink or two" after collecting a £150,000 bonus at the Gibraltar Open without playing a shot. The world number one was delighted after Wakelin's 4-2 win over Mark Selby ensured him of the sponsor's cash for the second straight year. Selby needed to better Trump's performance at the event to deny 'The Juddernaut', but suffered a shock exit in the last 32.

Defending champion Judd Trump will face Robert Milkins in the last 32 of the Gibraltar Open on Saturday (LIVE on Eurosport at 2pm) knowing he has already claimed a £150,000 bonus from the BetVictor European Series.

Mark Selby started the final tournament of the six-event series £6,500 behind Trump and could have denied the undisputed world number one the cash in a potential winner-takes-all semi-final, but suffered a shock 4-2 defeat to world number 62 Chris Wakelin, who made a break of 137 in the fifth frame in seeing out the victory in Milton Keynes.

"Think I might owe Chris Wakelin a drink or two," said Trump, who claimed a whopping £205,000 at last year's Gibraltar Open before lockdown having collected the £150,000 bonus with a 4-3 win over Kyren Wilson in the final, on top of a £50,000 first prize and £5,000 for the highest break (144).

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Three-times word champion Selby was not overly concerned about missing out on the money with the European Masters and Scottish Open champion praising Trump, who is £875,000 clear of second-placed Ronnie O'Sullivan at the top of the world rankings.

"It wasn’t to be. Even if it was, it wouldn’t make me any happier than I am at the moment," said world number four Selby, who will turn his attention to preparations for next month's World Championship in Sheffield.

‘He will take anything that comes along!’ – Wakelin the beneficiary of a large slice of luck

It wouldn’t make a difference to my life whether I won it or not. Obviously it is disappointing not to win it, but it isn’t the end of the world.

"Judd deserves it. He’s been incredible over the last two years. If you look at the amount of ranking tournaments he wins," commented Selby in praising Trump's victories this season at the English Open, Northern Ireland Open, World Grand Prix and German Masters.

"That bonus prize is going to go to someone who is winning tournaments and he is winning quite a lot recently, so he deserves everything he gets.”

‘It was kind of like a miracle!’ – Selby produces miraculous shot in Wakelin defeat

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The 2021 Gibraltar Open is live on Eurosport. Watch it on eurosport.co.uk and the Eurosport app. You can download the Eurosport app for iOS and Android now.

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