The 2026 Shanghai Masters concluded yesterday. Judd Trump won the title for the second time. In the final, he faced Kyren Wilson, the defending champion. Kyren will be disappointed not to have defended his title, especially after reaching the final. But he should be proud all the same as he came very close and defending a title is never an easy task nowadays.
This tournament is for the elite only and that makes the task even more difficult.
World number one Judd Trump won the Shanghai Masters for the second time in his career, overcoming defending champion Kyren Wilson 11-6 to claim the title.
Trump’s triumph avenges a 10-9 defeat at the hands of Wilson 11 years ago in the 2015 Shanghai Masters final. The tournament was a ranking event back then and was Wilson’s maiden title. It was only the pair’s third clash and marked an early chapter in what has proved to be a great snooker rivalry.
They’ve now played each other 26 times on the World Snooker Tour, with Trump’s victory today giving him a 14-12 advantage in their head-to-head record. Their previous meeting came in the 2025 Players Championship final, when Wilson prevailed 10-9.
Trump’s first victory in Shanghai came in 2024, when he beat Shaun Murphy 11-5 in the final. That came having lost finals to John Higgins in 2012, Wilson in 2015 and Ronnie O’Sullivan in 2017.
The result moves the Ace in the Pack’s invitational tournament tally to ten, which sits alongside a ranking title total of 31. However, with his projected end of season ranking sitting in sixth position, he will need to continue this form in the coming ranking events to retain top spot.
Trump looks well placed to do just that, having beaten World Champion Wu Yize 10-6 in the semis, whitewashed John Higgins 6-0 in the quarters and overcome Barry Hawkins 6-4 in the last 16.
Defeat for 34-year-old Wilson ends a gallant defence of his crown. Last year the Warrior overcame Ali Carter in the title match, but it wasn’t to be back-to-back wins. He leaves Shanghai having registered wins over O’Sullivan, Mark Williams and Zhao Xintong, which he will hope can serve as a platform for success this season.
The afternoon session was dominated by 2019 World Champion Trump, who emerged with a 7-3 advantage and a stranglehold on proceedings. He compounded Wilson’s troubles when play started this evening, taking the opener to move 8-3 ahead.
Wilson replied with a classy 103 break to reduce his arrears, before taking the 13th on the colours to trail 8-5. The next frame proved to be pivotal. It came down to the colours and Trump eventually deposited a mid-range brown and cleared to steal on the black. A break of 51 in the 15th then saw Trump again win on the black and move one from the win at 10-5.
A stunning break of 134 from Wilson kept the match alive. However, it was a short-lived reprieve. Runs of 34 and 43 from Trump in the 17th were enough to get the job done and secure the £210,000 top prize.
“He’s beaten me in the last few finals. It was nice to start the season in that kind of manner and get one over on him,” said 36-year-old Trump. “This tournament is amazing. I love coming to Shanghai. It is the first tournament of the year and it is a bit unknown how you are going to play.
“Especially with the challenge of Xintong and Wu Yize, this rivalry is important for us. I think Kyren struggled a bit in the ranking events last season. I did alright, but there are people just behind now. You want to show them that you are still the best in the world and it is important to be winning big events like this.
“I love being world number one. It is something I am very happy about. If I am going to drop down the rankings a bit, it is always nice to win these prestigious invitational tournaments like the Shanghai Masters.
“The last time I won Shanghai I had a great season after that. You need to win tournaments like this to test yourself against he best. It also gives you the most confidence if you do win them. It was important to get off to a good start. I’ve done that, I just need to do the rest now.“
Wilson said: “It should really have been 5-5 after the first session. That is how good Judd Trump is. If you give him a chance he will punish you and when he smells blood he goes for the kill. I made it too difficult tonight, but I kept fighting.“
As a Ronnie fan, I was disappointed to see him exit the tournament in the second round. Of course I was … but then, he wasn’t outplayed and went out to the defending champion and runner-up, Kyren Wilson. The worrying aspect of Ronnie’s defeat is how it happened, how he appeared to run out of steam in the last frames, and how physically unfit he looked. Lets hope he addresses those issues promptly because there wasn’t much wrong with his game itself for most of the match.
And I honestly don’t believe that moving to Dubai has anything to do with it. Similar “episodes” have happened throughout his career, when he was living in Essex. The worry though is that “coming back” becomes more difficult as players age. Fatigue is a factor and mental scars is another factor.
I would love to see Ronnie win another World title and definitively get ahead of Hendry, but, realistically, I don’t believe he still has it in him for a number of reasons., most notably because of the quality of the opposition. That said, we have been there before and he has proven us wrong…
As we say in french “tant qu’il y a de la vie, il y a de l’espoir.”
One thought on “Judd Trump is the 2026 Shanghai Masters Champion”
Just a possibility: maybe the move to Dubai is not the reason, only a sign that his priorities significantly changed and he cares more about making money (and avoid taxes, because that’s why rich people move to Dubai) rather than his snooker (and whatever would be needed for it, like fitness). Without judgement, because after all it’s his life, one can’t help thinking about the dignified end to a great career instead of what is on offer (and I don’t necessarily mean this defeat, but the constant withdrawals etc).
Just a possibility: maybe the move to Dubai is not the reason, only a sign that his priorities significantly changed and he cares more about making money (and avoid taxes, because that’s why rich people move to Dubai) rather than his snooker (and whatever would be needed for it, like fitness). Without judgement, because after all it’s his life, one can’t help thinking about the dignified end to a great career instead of what is on offer (and I don’t necessarily mean this defeat, but the constant withdrawals etc).