There was no surprise for me yesterday in York. The players I expected to win did win indeed.
TRUMP DEMOLISHES ZHANG TO MAKE SEMIS
World number one Judd Trump fell just short of Ronnie O’Sullivan’s record for unanswered points during a 6-2 defeat of former International Champion Zhang Anda at the Victorian Plumbing UK Championship.
The Ace in the Pack blitzed clear of Zhang this afternoon with a devastating barrage of breaks to take the opening five frames. Contributions of 89, 126, 120, 131 and 61 saw him rack up 527 points without reply on his way to a 5-0 lead. Zhang eventually potted a red in the fifth, when he ironically punched the air with joy.
The relentless burst from the Ace in the Pack saw him fall just 29 points short of O’Sullivan’s all-time record of 556, which he registered during a clash with Ricky Walden at the 2014 Masters. Trump came even closer to Stuart’s Bingham’s record for ranking events, which stands at 547 from his match with Sam Baird at the 2016 China Open.
Zhang got his first frame on the board in the sixth, before a run of exactly 100 made it 5-2. He came from 5-1 down to Bingham to win 6-5 in the second round, but Trump quickly saw off any threat of a fightback this afternoon. A dazzling 120 in the eighth saw him over the line for an impressive victory.
That puts Trump through to the fifth UK Championship semi-final of his career, where he will face either World Champion Kyren Wilson or returning professional Michael Holt. The 29-time ranking event winner will be hoping to secure his first UK crown since 2011, when he sensationally burst into the Triple Crown winner’s circle here in York as a 22-year-old with a win over Mark Allen in the final.
“I didn’t even think at the time that he hadn’t scored a point. I was just so in the zone. It was coming very naturally to me. I was very disappointed when I missed as I just wanted to keep potting. In the end, I managed to make a really good break in the last frame as well,” said 35-year-old Trump.
“It was important to get in quickly in the first frame and stamp my authority on the game. That is something that I haven’t done in the first couple of matches. There was a difference with how I felt in the first frame and from then on I never looked back.
“I can’t play much better than that I barely missed a ball. It is probably my best performance of all season. It is nice to produce that in such a big event. It isn’t often that you play your best in the biggest tournaments. It is nice to know I’ve still got it and I can keep improving.”
On the other table, Barry Hawkins produced a tremendous performance to defeat 2008 UK Champion Shaun Murphy 6-2.
The Hawk is hunting a maiden Triple Crown title, having been runner-up in two Masters finals and the 2013 World Championship.
Hawkins has enjoyed an impressive week so far here in York. He defeated defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan in the opening round and edged to a 6-5 defeat of David Gilbert in round two.
This afternoon saw Hawkins compose breaks of 63, 69, 91, 80 and 82 on his way to victory. He now faces either Mark Allen or Jack Lisowski in the last four.
Hawkins said: “It doesn’t happen very often but when you are hitting the ball that well it is a nice feeling. Sometimes it is an absolute nightmare out there. I’m very pleased and I’ll try to take it forward if I can and keep going.
“I’ve played well every match and I haven’t done that for a while. I’ve had a good one then a bad one. Going on that form I’d say I’m close to my best.“
Judd Trump froze Zhang out of the match for the five first frames. Credit to Zhang for still finding it in him to fight what seriously looked like a lost cause and take two frames. I remember one player, years back, who after facing a similar barrage by Ronnie, told him “finish me off, I want to go to the bar…”. Ronnie duly obliged. Judd at least was made to work a bit longer for it 😄. It was an impressive display by Judd indeed. The guys in commentary were all about the “unanswered points” record but I’m not at all surprised that Judd at the table was totally unaware of it. They are out there to win a match and obscure statistics is the last thing on their mind.
WILSON SETS UP TRUMP SHOWDOWN
World Champion Kyren Wilson booked a blockbuster showdown with world number one Judd Trump, after winning his quarter-final clash with Michael Holt 6-3 at the Victorian Plumbing UK Championship.
Wilson finds himself just two wins away from a second Triple Crown title of the year and his career. He sensationally climbed snooker’s Everest back in May, when he beat Jack Jones 18-14 in the Crucible final to become World Champion. The first hurdle in Wilson’s way this weekend is the most significant adversary of his career so far.
The Warrior has prevailed in his two most recent meetings with 2019 Crucible king Trump. The pair have done battle in two finals this season, at the Xi’an Grand Prix and Northern Ireland Open, winning 10-8 and 9-3 respectively. However, it’s Trump who holds the advantage in head-to-head meetings, leading 12-10.
Defeat for Holt ends a fairytale week. The Hitman fell off the tour in 2022, but after two years away, he has returned to the professional ranks this season. Holt came through qualifying and won two matches here at the Barbican to reach what was his first UK Championship quarter-final since 1999.
Breaks of 52 and 72 helped Wilson on his way to taking the first three frames this evening, before 64 from Holt in the fourth left him trailing 3-1 at the mid-session interval.
Nottingham’s Holt started brightly when play resumed, making 50 before breaking down. That was ruthlessly punished by a 72 break from Wilson, which moved him 4-1 ahead.
Holt continued to battle and took two on the bounce to move within a frame at 4-3, but a run of 67 in the eighth from Wilson left him needing just one more frame to make the semis. He crossed it at the first time of asking, although he agonisingly missed the 12th black off the spot in a break of 89 to fall short during a maximum break attempt. Regardless, he finds himself in the semi-finals of the UK Championship for a second time.
“It takes a lot of resilience to go and play in amateur club snooker then come and play in one of biggest arenas and best tournaments we have then get to the quarter-finals. Every credit to Michael, it is great to see. I wish him well for the rest of the season,” said 32-year-old Wilson.
“I think everyone involved is going to enjoy the semi-final with Judd tomorrow, even my kids can’t pick who they want to win! It should be good fun. I think it is a great advertisement for the game, TV and fans who will turn up in their numbers. This venue comes into its own when it goes into the one table setup. I’ll really enjoy tomorrow.
“I think Judd is one of those players that wants to prove he is the best in the world. I’ve got the better of him recently but that will just make him even more hungry to prove a point. He isn’t world number one by fluke. He’s been by far the most consistent player of the last few years, but I’m trying to hang onto his coattails.“
On the other table, 2022 UK Champion Mark Allen notched up five frames on the bounce to beat Jack Lisowski 6-3 and earn a semi-final clash with Barry Hawkins.
The Pistol scored a stunning victory in the final two years ago, rallying from 6-1 down to beat Ding Junhui 10-7.
This evening’s game saw him again come from behind. After trailing 3-1, contributions of 103, 55, 69 and 51 helped him to overhaul Lisowski and secure victory.
Allen said: “I didn’t think I’d done much wrong at 3-1 down. I just had to stay patient. I was steady and not spectacular. I committed to what I’ve been doing with Lee Walker on the practice table.
“Barry has beaten me already this season. He is a very good player. He is very consistent on the big stage. I will have to go out there and play like I did against Wu Yize in the last round to stand any chance.”
Michael Holt is one of the great underachievers in snooker. Countless times his volatile temperament let him down. Yesterday though was not such an occasion, he simply faced one of the very best players in the World, the reigning World Champion, a World Champion who truly lives up to his status.
On another note … it seems that all the top players are working with Lee Walker nowadays. The ability to teach and pass knowledge is a quality not many possess at the highest level. From what transpires from many corners, Lee has that rare gift. He fully deserves the recognition he finally gets.
Ronnie O'Sullivan 