Judd Trump’s hopes of winning a fourth straight ranking tournament were shattered by Stephen Maguire.
Judd Trump lost 6-3 to Scotland’s Stephen Maguire at the International Championship in China, ending his hopes of winning a fourth straight world ranking tournament.
Trump defeated Maguire in the Belfast quarterfinals and went on to win the English Open, Wuhan Open, and Northern Ireland Open.
Maguire had leads of 2-0 and 3-1, and victories were secured with breaks of 56, 69, and 88.
Mark Allen was one of the losers as Ronnie O’Sullivan defeated Jak Jones 6-4 to advance to the round of 16.
O’Sullivan took a 2-0 lead in the second frame thanks to a run of 68. Jones, a Welshman, narrowed the gap with a 77 break, but the seven-time world champion prevailed in a close fourth frame to reclaim the lead.
Jones levelled the match at 44 thanks to breaks of 130 and 83, but O’Sullivan prevailed in a spirited ninth frame to wrap up the match with a run of 130.
Next up for the 47-year-old is Anthony McGill, who defeated England’s Jack Lisowski 6-2.
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh of Thailand defeated last season’s player of the year Allen 6-3, continuing his dismal start to the new campaign.
After breaks of 60, 58, and 72, Allen had leads of 1-0 and 3-2, but the Thai, whose only other ranking tournament victory came in the 2019 Shootout, responded with runs of 60, 72, and a closing 141 to complete the victory.
Jordan Brown, Allen’s countryman, had better luck. He defeated Kyren Wilson, ranked eighth in the world, 6-4, to advance to the last 16 and face John Higgins.
Wilson made breaks of 106, 93, and 104, but Brown, the 2021 Welsh Open champion, rallied from a 3-1 deficit to win with the help of runs of 54, 91, 77, and 78.
In Tianjin, Higgins defeated Dylan Emery 6-1, and other players who advanced to the round of sixteen included home hero Ding Junhui, Mark Selby, Ali Carter, and Barry Hawkins.
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TRUMP STREAK ENDS FOR MAGUIRE
Judd Trump’s 22-match winning streak was snapped by Scotland’s Stephen Maguire, who defeated the Englishman 6-3 in the final 32 of the International Championship in Tianjin.
This season, Trump has been in incredible form, becoming just the fifth player to win three straight ranking events. At the English Open, Wuhan Open, and Northern Ireland Open, he won consecutive medals. His hopes of becoming the world’s top player are also dashed for the time being as his streak comes to an end this evening.
The outcome of this evening is crucial for Maguire, the 2004 UK Champion, who finished the season without making it to even one quarterfinal. This term, he has already accomplished that when Trump defeated him at the Northern Ireland Open. Today, Maguire got his comeuppance.
This evening, Maguire led 2-0 thanks to breaks of 56 and 69. Trump then tied the score with a run of 88 to take the lead. But Maguire secured the fourth to lead 3-1 going into the midsession.
When play resumed the first two frames were shared and Maguire then hammered home a run of 88 to move one from victory at 5-2. Trump pulled one back, but it was to no avail as the Glaswegian got himself over the line for an important 6-3 victory. Next up he faces a last 16 clash with Ryan Day.
“I feel very proud to beat Judd. The run he has been on, winning three back-to-back tournaments, is incredible. Especially with all of the good players that are out there just now. It is a good result for me to win the match and to beat Judd as well, because be beat me last week,” said 42-year-old Maguire.
He would have desired to continue that run. You become accustomed to winning matches as soon as you begin to do so. Regardless of whether it was this match or the one after, Judd always knew it would end at some point. He seemed to be the one under pressure today, if anyone was. It was just another match to me.
Ronnie O’Sullivan, the top-ranked player in the world, is expected to hold his position this week after defeating Jak Jones 6-4 in a hard-fought match this evening.
Three players were vying for The Rocket’s world number one ranking at the beginning of the competition. But with Trump’s withdrawal, World Champion Luca Brecel’s loss to Mark Davis yesterday, Mark Allen’s 6-4 loss to Thepchaiya Un-Nooh today, and all of that, he is safe.
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