Judd Trump blitzed to a 6-1 win over Pang Junxu to remain in contention for a potential fourth ranking title of the season and the hunt for the world number one spot at the MrQ UK Championship in York.
The Ace in the Pack has enjoyed a phenomenal start to the season. He became only the fifth player in the history of snooker to land three consecutive ranking titles, thanks to an amazing 22-match streak. He jetted across the globe to pick up silverware in back-to-back weeks at the English Open, Wuhan Open and the Northern Ireland Open.
That burst of form has meant he stands a chance of usurping Ronnie O’Sullivan at the summit of the world rankings this week, the 34-year-old must make at least the quarter-finals. Next up he faces either Jack Lisowski or Jamie Jones in the last 16.
Pang, who was Rookie of the Year in 2021, came through two rounds of qualifying to clinch his place in the final stages, beating Mark Davis 6-4 and Craig Steadman 6-2. However, his reward was the unenviable task of facing the World Snooker Tour’s form player and that proved to be a bridge too far.
Trump came flying out of the blocks in the opening frame this afternoon, hammering home a break of 114 for an early lead. A fragmented 28-minute second went the way of Pang, who restored parity at 1-1. However, that was the last time he registered a frame, with 2011 UK Champion Trump blitzing for the line. He made further breaks of 124, 68 and 50 on his way to five on the bounce and a 6-1 victory. Afterwards Trump was relieved to progress, after revealing he has been struggling with illness this week.
“I didn’t feel great, but I will always turn up and give it my best. It is a big tournament and you want to do well in it. I just had lower expectations and maybe that helped a little bit. It was a decent first round performance, a couple of day is a long time and hopefully I can go away and feel a bit better,” said 26-time ranking event winner.
“I’m somewhere near my best, the performances are more and more consistent. Reaching a lot of finals fills you with confidence. I just feel very match sharp. I’ve played a lot of tournaments and a lot of games against top players.
“If I play anywhere near my best it is always going to be tough for anyone to compete against me. I just have to keep going away and playing decent every time. It is not always easy on the big stage. This is a tournament where I have either gone out early or done really well. The next one is a big game for me.”
On the other table, European Masters champion Barry Hawkins earned a hard fought 6-4 win over former Welsh Open finalist Ben Woollaston.
It was Woollaston who took charge in the early stages, making a break of 100 on his way to a 3-1 lead at the mid-session. However, Hawkins turned the tie around after the interval. He took five of the next four to secure his spot in the last 16. Next up the Londoner faces either close friend Mark Selby or Mark Joyce.
