Last week’s English Open champion Judd Trump is through to his second consecutive final after storming to a 6-1 win over Wu Yize in the semis at the Wuhan Open.
Trump now faces Ali Carter in the title match, where they will be battling it out to become the inaugural winner of the Wuhan Open. This week marks the first ranking event to take place in Asia since 2019, when Trump took home the title at the World Open.
The Ace in the Pack has battled against the odds to make the final after his exertions in winning the English Open final last Sunday, when he came from 7-3 down to beat Zhang Anda 9-7. Trump arrived in China on Tuesday and had to play two matches on Wednesday to catch up, but so far he has shown no signs of tiredness.
Wu’s week ends in defeat but he can reflect on a tournament which has seen him make the final of a ranking event for the first time in his career. The Chinese cueman, who celebrated his 20th birthday today, defeated Marco Fu, Ryan Day, Stephen Maguire and Aaron Hill on his way to the last four.
There were no birthday signs of cheer for Wu this evening, as Trump ruthlessly established an early lead. The Englishman compiled breaks of 110, 53, 77 and 52 on his way to moving 4-0 up at the mid-session.
After the break Wu did get on the scoreboard thanks to a contribution of 68 in the fifth. However, Trump quickly extinguished any hopes of a fightback with runs of 127 and 63. He delighted the capacity crowd in the final frame by clearing the colours whilst barely moving his feet.
Trump said: “It was nice to play in front of a big crowd in China. It’s been a while and that was probably one of the biggest crowds we will get to play in front of. It was a packed house and I didn’t expect a lot this week, so every game is a bonus. I am just going out, trying to enjoy it and take it all in. The crowds have been good all week, but that was a different arena and it was nice to be involved. I’m happy I got through.
“I know a few players have tried potting the colours without moving their feet in practice. It is a different kettle of fish when it is out in a tournament. It is nice to show what I can do. I know that the crowd enjoy that kind of stuff more than anyone. Whenever I get a chance to play a difficult shot I always do here.
“Ali will probably make it a lot more difficult than some of the younger players have done. I think he is similar to Barry Hawkins, in that you have to earn everything. For me, honestly, I don’t care. I won the tournament last week and I’m in the final. I have zero pressure on me. I can go out, enjoy it and see what happens. I’m just happy to play in front of another amazing crowd.”
