In the Northern Ireland Open, Judd Trump secured a spot in the semi-finals after a hard-fought battle against Stephen Maguire. The English snooker star initially trailed the Scottish player 3-1 and 4-3 but managed to pull ahead in the final frames with breaks of 71 and 54.
Maguire had an early advantage, with a break of 74 giving him a 3-1 lead. Trump, however, made a comeback with impressive runs of 109 and 81, leveling the score. Maguire regained the lead briefly but was eventually edged out by Trump.
In the upcoming semi-finals, Judd Trump will face his fellow countryman Barry Hawkins. This victory marked Trump’s 18th consecutive win, following his previous successes at the English Open and Wuhan Open in China. Notably, Trump was the sole member of the world’s top 10 to reach the quarter-finals of the Belfast event.
The tournament began last Sunday, missing Ronnie O’Sullivan due to illness but featuring world champion Luca Brecel and notable names like Mark Selby and John Higgins. The latter two had initially committed to an exhibition event in Macau but moved it to December following potential disciplinary action from the World Snooker Tour (WST).
The other semi-final on Saturday will also be an all-English affair, featuring Jack Lisowski and Chris Wakelin. Hawkins secured his spot in the semis with a 5-4 victory over compatriot David Gilbert, displaying remarkable snooker skills with breaks of 138 and 134. Lisowski maintained his impressive form in Belfast by decisively defeating Ricky Walden 5-1, while Wakelin, whose only ranking tournament win was in last season’s Shoot Out, displayed his prowess with breaks of 62, 76, and 54 to overcome China’s Yuan Sijun 5-2.
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