At the German Masters, Judd Trump took center stage at the Tempodrom in Berlin as Ronnie O’Sullivan was off the field. He exceeded expectations by defeating Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and securing his spot in the final eight with a masterclass. The world No. 2’s next matchup is against John Higgins. Watch live snooker action, including the German Masters, on eurosport.com, the Eurosport app, and discovery+.
In a snooker masterpiece, Judd Trump defeated Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 5-2 to advance to the German Masters quarterfinals and earn the £150,000 BetVictor Series bonus.
Despite being overshadowed by Ronnie O’Sullivan before Christmas, Trump has been one of the season’s best players, and on Thursday night at the Tempodrom in Berlin, he put on a tremendous show.
After dominating Thepchaiya with three centuries and a break of eighty, the world No. 2 lined up a matchup with John Higgins in the final eight.
Despite all of Trump’s skill, Thepchaiya initiated play with a fantastic long red and a cut-back black, but he was halted when a red that he cannoned slid into the left middle.
Although Trump had an easy start, he was only able to make 35 before he was out of position.
Later, Trump pulled himself out of danger and scored the points required to win the first game.
After that, traffic was essentially one-way. In the second over, Trump scored a magnificent opening century of 110 to increase his lead. He then blasted past his 62nd century of the season.
Trump’s game was in order in other areas as well, as he left Thepchaiya riveted to the baulk rail off his break in the third. He also had outstanding potting.
Thepchaiya reached for the pot, but it stayed in place. In less than thirty minutes, Trump had secured a 3-0 advantage by potting the last black, totaling 132 clearances, within minutes.
For the first three frames, the Thai was only allowed to spend 2.5 minutes at the table. After 36 minutes of play, he hit one shot in the fourth, when Trump sank a brilliant red following Thepchaiya’s break and made 80 to lead 4-0 going into halftime.
At the beginning of the fifth, there was a rare item for collectors: a Trump miss. While the black was undoubtedly challenging, it stayed above the surface, allowing Thepchaiya to end a 38-minute stretch without potting a ball.
Thepchaiya had a strong first frame appearance, but bad luck had other ideas. The same thing happened in the fifth when he made a terrible error that stopped him on a run of 53.
Though it appeared to be his last shot, Trump missed once more, and Thepchaiya got up from his chair to get a frame on the board.
Trump appeared to be quite frustrated that he was unable to complete the whitewash, and in the sixth, Thepchaiya broke for 74 runs.
In the eighth, Thepchaiya took a chance with his arm, but after a pot failed to fall and gave Trump an opportunity, he returned to his seat with a rueful expression.
Thepchaiya’s strong play, rather than Trump’s shoddy play, kept the match close, but Trump ended it with a break of 135 to secure his spot in the quarterfinals.
Trump’s victory sealed the BetVictor Series prize with more than an event remaining, which was the cherry on top considering his earlier-season performances left him out of contention for the remainder of the tour.
In other news, Kyren Wilson ended Neil Robertson’s respectable performance in the competition.
Despite losing two frames to Joe Perry, Jimmy Robertson, and Sanderson Lam, the Australian’s form improved after a dismal first half of the season.
Robertson won the first two frames on Thursday night, but Wilson quickly advanced to the quarterfinals with victories of 5-3, 115, 72, and 76.
Wilson defeated Tom Ford 5-3 to go to the quarterfinals, where he will take on Fan Zhengyi.
Sam Craigie, meanwhile, prevailed 5-4 over Xu Si by maintaining composure to break for 52 in the fourth session. As a reward, he will face Ali Carter in the quarterfinals.
