Judd Trump came from 3-1 down to beat Stephen Maguire 5-4 in the quarter-finals of the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open and is now just two wins away from joining the elite group of players to land three consecutive ranking titles.
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Trump has won a remarkable 18 matches in a row, a golden run that has seen him lift the trophy at both the BetVictor English Open and Wuhan Open within the past three weeks. If he can complete the hat-trick on Sunday he will join Ray Reardon, Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry and Ding Junhui as the only players to capture three ranking titles in a row. His next opponent on Saturday evening will be Barry Hawkins, who beat Trump in the final of the BetVictor European Masters in August.
Chris Wakelin is also into the last four in Belfast after seeing off Yuan Sijun 5-2, and he’ll meet Jack Lisowski in the first semi-final on Saturday from 1pm.
Scotland’s Maguire won a scrappy opening frame tonight before Trump levelled with a break of 78. Maguire, playing in his first ranking quarter-final since the 2022 World Championship, regained the lead with a 74, then got the better of a safety battle on the brown in frame four and took advantage for 3-1.
World number three Trump stormed back after the interval with 109 and 81 for 3-3. Frame seven came down to the last red, and a safety error from Trump gifted his opponent the chance to edge ahead. But Trump’s 71 made it 4-4, and early in the decider he stroked in a long red to set up a break of 54. After a safety exchange, the Bristol cueman added 24 to keep his winning streak going.
Trump, though to his 57th ranking semi-final, said: “I made two really good breaks in the last two frames to get over the line. At 3-1 down I felt I hadn’t done much wrong and I would get my chances, I was never worried. When I got a chance in the decider I really felt I would take it. This arena comes alive when we go down to one table so it will be great to experience that tomorrow. Barry is in great form, he is more consistent than he has been for a long time. He’ll fancy his chances, just as I will.”
Wakelin won the BetVictor Shoot Out last season but had otherwise never previously reached the semi-finals of a ranking event. The Nuneaton cueman made breaks of 62 and 76 in taking a 2-1 lead before China’s Yuan levelled at 2-2. After the interval, world number 25 Wakelin made a vital 34 clearance to win frame five, took the next with a 54 and then ground through frame seven to complete the scoreline.
“It was a scrappy match and trying to get over the line felt like climbing Mount Everest,” admitted the 31-year-old. “If it had gone 4-3 then the pressure would have grown so I was pleased to get it done. To get to the semi-finals feels like a big step in my career thought I don’t feel I have played my best. I have battled well and I have not shown that in recent years. I’ve had a tendency to go into my shell and be scared of losing. This week I have battled from the heart, I have put everything into it.
“Tomorrow will be a big challenge, Jack is a phenomenal player. But he is yet to win silverware and that’s a monkey on his back. That’s something he’ll be looking to cross off and he might fancy his chances against me. But I wouldn’t want to play me at the moment. My game is as good as ever and I’m filled with confidence and belief that I belong in the later stages of these tournaments.”
