Judd Trump reacts to moving alongside snooker greats after Northern Ireland Open win - ‘Bit of a dream’
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Published 30/10/2023 at 09:48 GMT
Following his success at the English Open and Wuhan Open, Judd Trump claimed a third ranking title in a row with victory at the Northern Ireland Open on Sunday. Trump powered past Chris Wakelin with a 9-3 win, moving the 34-year-old onto 26 ranking event victories, leaving him fifth in the all-time list. Steve Davis sits fourth, and his total of 28 looks to be more than surpassable.
‘Should I retire the tip?’ - Trump jokes about swapping tips after winning three in a row
Judd Trump admits it is a "bit of a dream" to rank alongside some of snooker’s all-time greats, after winning his third ranking title in a row at the Northern Ireland Open.
Trump powered his way past Chris Wakelin with a 9-3 victory in Belfast to move fifth in the all-time list of ranking title wins – two behind Steve Davis and one ahead of Mark Williams.
It capped off a superb week for Trump, who came into the final after a stunning semi-final comeback against Barry Hawkins, showcasing the confidence gained from that result with a fine display on Sunday.
The world No. 3 admits he can scarcely believe his own progress, highlighting how momentum has shifted in his favour in recent months.
“It's a bit of a surprise really to see myself up there so early in my career,” he told Eurosport after the victory.
“To be so close to John Higgins and Steve Davis and to have already passed John Higgins, is a bit of a dream really.
“In the last five years I've really come into my own, and shown what I can do on the table. When I do win one, a lot of the time there's a good chance I do win two, three in a row.
“It's important for me to capitalise at the moment and keep that streak going.”
The 34-year-old also looked back to the English Open final when he was forced to change his tip during a superb 9-7 comeback win over Zhang Anda.
Trump was 5-3 down as the afternoon session came to close, and even though he lost the next two to trail 7-3, he would win six frames in a row to seal a memorable win.
When reflecting on the change, he joked: “I said to my brother before the final session, ‘if I win this, should I retire the tip like a horse?’
“Take it off, it's undefeated. I don't want to keep playing and lose with that tip now! It was a big risk, but one I had to take, I felt like I was going to lose the final otherwise.
“It was a risk worth taking and I managed to find something special, a bit of confidence with it and I'm back to my best.”
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