- Trump crowned Snooker Masters champion for second time
- 2023-01-16 13:25:50.0 Source: Xinhuanet
Author: Zhang Wei
Trump, who is currently ranked fourth in the world, defeated veteran Williams 10:8 on the 15th. After reaching the top of the Snooker Masters in 2019, he once once more won the championship that invited the world’s top 16 players to participate.
The 33-year-old Trump has performed so-so this season. He only reached one final before the Masters, and finally lost to O’Sullivan. He also stumbled all the way in this game. In the first two rounds, he narrowly beat his opponent until the decisive game. Only the 6:1 semi-final was slightly easier.
The 47-year-old Williams is in good form, defeating Gilbert 6:2 in the first round, and beating the world’s No. 1 O’Sullivan 6:5 in the quarter-finals. Facing Lisowski on the 14th, although he failed to break a hundred in a single stroke, he was still more accurate in a not-so-smooth game, and even swept his opponent 6:0.
Although he emphasized before the game that he must be the underdog in the final, Trump made a strong start on the 15th and led 4:1. However, Williams still has the touch, and the long stage attack has repeatedly succeeded, and he pursued every step of the way to achieve an 8:7 lead. At the critical moment, Trump’s state improved, and he won 3 games in a row to become the champion.
Trump said that when he fell behind 7:8, he missed several opportunities, but his opponent failed to take the opportunity to turn the score into a 9:7 lead. “If that is the case, I may not be able to play.” “After the 8-8 tie, I went to the toilet, washed my face, and played like I should. I felt great at the end, not nervous at all. I actually had 3 out of 4 games this week. I might lose, but I survived.”
Williams, who reached the final of the Masters for the first time since 2003, said he enjoyed the game even when his opponent cleared the table in the final game, “because you don’t know how many times you can be here. Hopefully I can come back next year.”
