Judd Trump reached his fourth UK Championship final with a comfortable 6-2 victory over world champion Kyren Wilson at the Barbican in York.
While the match failed to scale the heights of the expected blockbuster between the top two ranked players in the world, the outcome provides Trump with a small measure of revenge after his losses to Wilson in the finals of the Xi’an Grand Prix and Northern Ireland Open earlier this term.
World number one Trump had looked slightly out of sorts in the opening two frames, with a purposeful Wilson enjoying a run of 62 to lead 2-0.
However, the momentum shifted spectacularly the other way with Trump then reeling off six consecutive frames against an opponent who looked shorn of confidence.
A 43rd century of the season allowed Trump to draw level and with Wilson’s play punctuated by loose safety shots, unexpected missed pots and moments of misfortune, he took full advantage.
A run of 65 helped Trump go 5-2 up and he sealed his win with another century break.
“He missed a couple of pots with the rest which he doesn’t normally miss and it kind of changed the game,” said Trump.
“I was able to pot the long ones after the interval. I was getting in from his break-off and getting a good lead or winning the frame. He didn’t do that much wrong. Overall I am very happy to win.”
Trump’s success also dashed Wilson’s hopes of becoming the first player to win the world and UK titles in the same year since Mark Selby in 2016.
And it ensured that Trump, who is aiming to win the tournament for the first time since 2011, has tipped his earnings for the season over £1m regardless of the result in Sunday’s final against either Mark Allen or Barry Hawkins.
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